Retailers, we need to talk.

It’s not even Halloween, and guess what I just spotted at a major chain store, wedged between a clearance American flag and a freakishly tall skeleton?

A fully lit, six-foot Christmas tree.

Can we just… chill?

Remember the 90s? Back when holidays had actual seasons, and you could enjoy the end of summer before being ambushed by glittering reindeer and Halloween inflatables at the same time. We waited. We anticipated. There was rhythm. Now? It’s like we’ve hit fast-forward on the calendar, and we’re all just trying to keep up.

We’re already deep in the era of holiday burnout. Retailers start shoving the next “big season” down our throats before we’ve had time to finish our lemonade or toss out the last of the sparklers. And the result? We’re losing the magic that comes with waiting for the right time.

Thanksgiving doesn’t stand a chance anymore, which honestly, as a lifetime hater of that holiday…I’m okay with.

But seriously, it used to be a proper seasonal event: cozy, nostalgic, delicious. Now it feels like a forgotten speed bump between Halloween and the retail Super Bowl that is Black Friday Cyber Monday. The cranberry sauce is still jiggling when the “12 Days of Merry Deals” start rolling out. The stuffing’s barely cooled and the tree is already up.

This wasn’t always the case.

Back in the 90s, we let holidays breathe:

• Labor Day was for backyard cookouts and last summer flings.
• Halloween didn’t show up until October 1st.
• Christmas began after Thanksgiving. And it still felt magical.

There was no Christmas in August. No Santa in shorts. No Halloween candy displays melting next to discounted sunscreen. And because of that, each holiday felt special, instead of smashed into a marketing meat grinder.

So what’s the rush? Seems all our society ever does anymore is rush. And we wonder why everyone’s drowning themselves in vices.

When we jam-pack the calendar with decorations, sales, and themed playlists months in advance, we don’t actually extend the joy—we water it down. We exhaust ourselves. We skip the part where we get to feel present in the season we’re in.

The result? Holidays become more about performance than presence.

You’re not sipping cider around a bonfire, you’re panic-buying Christmas cards in September because you feel behind.

You’re not savoring a slice of pumpkin pie, you’re stress-scrolling for the best early Black Friday air fryer deals.

We’re sprinting from one dopamine hit to the next, and somehow feeling less fulfilled with every wreath we hang before its time.

It literally doesn’t have to be this way.

We can take it back. We can slow it down. We can let holidays arrive when they’re supposed to, not when the corporate calendar says it’s time to move product. Start by resisting the pressure. Ignore the trees in August. Don’t let a pre-Halloween Christmas aisle tell you how to feel or when to decorate.

Let summer die a noble death. Let fall have its moment. Give Thanksgiving a chance to breathe. Let Christmas be worth waiting for.

Because if we keep fast-tracking every holiday, we’ll forget what made them feel magical in the first place.

And if I could add one more note, bring back holiday decorate that feels fun, warm and genuine. Keep the sad beige away from my household.