'Tis the season already for many retailers

http://www.uniondemocrat.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=21771

By SUNNY LOCKWOOD

Christmas catalogues stuff mailboxes, Santas wave from store windows and retail employees busily stock shelves with ornaments and wreaths.

It's not even Halloween yet, but many retailers are already preparing for Christmas.

Tammy Williams, general manager of the Ace Home Center in Arnold, said people start asking about Christmas displays in early October. The store devotes about 2,000 square feet to its Christmas displays, she said.

"We start setting up in October and we get mixed reviews," she said. "Some people don't like it going up so early. But others are asking for Christmas decor and our selling season is so short."

Calaveras Lumber in Angels Camp devotes about 1,700 square feet to theme-decorated Christmas trees, lights, ornaments, gifts and decor.

Store Manager Pat Davis said the tree decorating started a month ago, but shopping for the Christmas area began last January.

"It takes a very long time to set up our 25 decorated trees and create the setting," she said. "We don't want to slap it up in a weekend."

The Christmas area does have an enchanted feeling to it — from the stuffed reindeer clustering around a stone fireplace to the virtual forest of trees filled with bows, birds and Santas.

Davis said the Christmas Store was started 12 years ago by Diane Fullaway, one of the owners of Calaveras Lumber.

"She said she was getting bored with hardware and this is fun and brings in the women," said Davis. "We want to do it with care and create a beautiful experience for people."

Many other area stores are getting into the Christmas spirit earlier.

Every year, the Twain Harte Pharmacy in Twain Harte has seven decorative trees – each with a different theme. This year will include: Victorian, Santa, tropical, dog and silver and white trees. The trees aren't up yet, but the holiday decorations have already landed on store shelves.

"Everyone wants to start Christmas shopping early. Customers have been asking about Christmas decorations for the last couple of weeks. So, every week we try to put something else up," said Erica Patrick, a department manager.

The store has stocked Christmas ornaments, holiday cards, lights, tinsel and other decorations. The pharmacy will start playing Christmas music the day after Thanksgiving, Patrick said.

In Sonora, Wal-Mart Nursery Associate Carly Belemecich said she started setting up the store's Christmas aisles Sept. 3.

But the majority of Christmas decorations and gifts will go up in the two weeks following Halloween, she said.

All three retailers said people start looking in October for wreathes, garlands and other Christmas decorations.

"As soon as people see the Halloween stuff come out, they start asking when the Christmas trees are coming in," Belemecich said.

She said large yard displays like eight-foot tall Santas and reindeer that light up and move sell out early.

"The demand is really high for them," she said.

Janice Dillashaw, one of the four designers who create the Christmas Store at Calaveras Lumber, said it's only good business to make a beautiful Christmas display around this time of year.

"Other retailers already have displays out and we lose sales if we don't get ours out too," she said.

But some locals say they could wait until after Halloween to start thinking about Christmas shopping.

San Andreas resident Andrea Fine was shopping for Halloween candy yesterday with two small sons in tow.

"I don't really mind the Christmas stuff being out this early, but I have four boys and the kids are just now getting into Halloween," she said. "I'd like the Christmas stuff better if it was on sale. That would be great. But it's all full price."

"I don't get why they put out Christmas now," said 12-year-old Danielle Phillips, who was shopping with her mother. "I'm shopping for Halloween. Most of my friends are shopping for Halloween stuff."

Although shoppers start looking for Christmas decorations in October, said Ace's Williams, their enthusiasm for Christmas products and activities increases as Dec. 25 draws near.

Ace offers a variety of Christmas activities following Thanksgiving, including its popular holiday classes on wreath-making, table-top decoration and gift baskets.

"We've found that people are more interested as we get closer to Christmas," she said.

Davis said the Christmas Store area of Calaveras Lumber grows more elaborate every year.

"And we're having the Nov. 9 chamber (of commerce) mixer here, so we want to get everything displayed," she said. "I think of it as a community service because there's nothing else like this. You won't find anything like this in department stores."

Davis said customers ask about the Christmas display earlier and earlier every year.

But at least one shopper won't be buying Christmas decorations in October.

Jeanette Van Zant of Murphys said she doesn't like to see Christmas items on the shelves before Halloween.

"It's Halloween now and I don't even want to think about Christmas yet," she said. "That's two months away."