It's a bind alright, those merchants make most of their yearly profits at Christmas time, so, they are pressed to make it start as soon as they can, especially in a bad year. The hell of it is, their method of "getting us into the mood" is what drives some of us away. My daughters and I, and my two oldest grand children have said, "No more" and we dont go near the stores. I do, however, buy something for my 5 year old grand son who doesn't understand capitalism.