Christmas Comes Early

"it's the most wonderful time of the year," andy williams croons in the popular holiday standard. but for new york retailers, the "wonderful time" has come early-too early, for some-with storefronts across the city already draping their windows with holly and strings of twinkling lights, despite the halloween pumpkins still peering over brownstone stoops.

at laytner's linen and home, on broadway and west 82nd street, managers say they have always tried to be the first in the neighborhood to roll out the holiday cheer. but this year, they decided to break out the tinsel two weeks earlier than their usual date, in hopes of luring in customers and beating the competition to early sales. since mid-october, the windows have greeted passers-by with christmas trees decorated with gleaming green and red glass bulbs. inside, a glowing world of potted poinsettias, rhinestone-encrusted pinecones and plastic snowflakes awaits. "the economy this year is something else," said jeanette gamble, the store's assistant manager. "we're trying to put a smile on passer-bys' faces? trying to put the neighborhood into a better feeling instead of worrying about the bank book, the bills." of course, there's another reason for jumping the gun: "this way they look at us first," she said with a smile. after what will go down as one of the most painful years in modern retail history, business owners across the nation are adopting the early christmas strategy in droves. "this is the first time we've seen this," said retail expert george whalin, president and ceo of retail management consultants, which has advised companies including modell's sporting goods and nextel. "this is a new phenomenon based on the general unhealthy nature of the business." the holiday season is a crucial time for retailers. some, including jewelry shops and toy stores, rely on the season to generate up to half their yearly sales. but last year, the merriment never came. sales were down 6 to 8 percent nationwide, whalin said-the first drop in nearly two decades of steady gains. "sales last christmas were a disaster," he said. "one of the worst i've ever seen." and 2009 may be only marginally better. the latest estimates from the national retail federation, the world's largest trade association, predict holiday retail sales to decline another 1 percent. in the current climate, analysts say retailers need to be as aggressive as possible to make ends meet. "they gotta try something," whalin said. "they can't just sit around and do nothing and wait for the economy to turn around." so retailers have been pushing christmas earlier than ever. forget the myth that the holiday season begins on thanksgiving or black friday. kmart and sears began advertising layaway sales in late july. at duane reade locations across the city, zombie face paints and trick-or-treat candy lined one aisle, while plush red santa hats and rudolph-patterned gift wrap lined another. starbucks rolled out its famous red snowflaked christmas cups the first week of november. while a starbucks company spokesperson declined to comment, a barista who has worked for the company for a decade said that the cups have always been introduced at the end of november, not the beginning. at bath and body works, on third avenue between east 71st and 72nd streets, staff said they were instructed to decorate on nov. 3, about three weeks earlier than the usual pre-thanksgiving date. same with banana republic on east 59th street and lexington avenue, which has been bursting with holiday cheer since just after halloween. kris johnson, who owns johnson's frame centre on lexington avenue and east 75th street, said the pressure is too much to resist. though he remembers waiting until after thanksgiving to roll out the décor, this season, the store welcomed the holidays the first weekend of november. "they did it, so we're going to," he said of the competition. some customers are happy to have a little extra time to bargain hunt and shop around. upper west sider rose berrios-gerena, 61, said she wanted to beat the holiday rush as she browsed laytner's christmas section as kids carrying ice cream cones and couples in sandals and t-shirts strolled by. but freddy cruz, the visual coordinator at gracious home, on third avenue between east 70th and 71st streets, seemed perplexed that the store opened a specialty christmas room in mid-october. "i know we need to make our money starting early," he said. but "it's too much." manni cerra, a restaurant consultant from the upper west side, agreed. "it's much too early," he complained as he looked askance at a christmas display on his way to the post office in khaki cargo shorts and 70-degree sunshine in early november. "it kind of takes the anticipation, the fun out of the christmas holidays," he said. "it's a little bit too premature." while retailers may be hoping to make an extra buck, he said he's too busy thinking about thanksgiving turkey to worry about stocking stuffers. "it won't work on me," he said. not all retailers are jumping on board, though. gloria mills, manager of enchanted toys, on lexington avenue and east 80th street, said she plans to replace the pumpkins and leaves adorning her store's windows with santas and reindeers after thanksgiving, as she's always done. "it's an epidemic," she said of so-called "christmas creep." while she does feel some pressure to join the rush, she said she's sticking to her guns. "we don't have to be forcing it down your throat," she said. of course, whether the early strategy will prove effective is yet to be seen. "there is some risk that you're going to turn off some customers," whalin said. "and you're not going to get as much business as you think you will."