Don't Wait for Thanksgiving

It used to be that the Christmas season began at Thanksgiving--but it seems to be getting earlier every year. This year, Thanksgiving is late, and there are only 22 shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the shortest span that can occur in the six-year cycle. Last week, with Thanksgiving still a good fortnight away, many of the nation's stores began breaking out in Christmas lights and decorations, advertising Christmas sales and scheduling extra late-shopping nights.

Christmas is serious business to the merchant--amounting to about 20% of his year's trade--and also serious business to the economy. With the economic recovery now 33 months old, 1963's Christmas sales will be closely watched for signs that the consumer is either stepping up or cutting back on his prolonged spending spree. Partially because the traditional season is 20% shorter this year, and partially because many merchants find it hard to believe that their good luck can continue indefinitely, only 49% of the stores queried last month by the National Retail Merchants Association felt that this year's Christmas sales will exceed 1962's. But, as stores busily worked at launching their early season last week, it was hard to find a merchant who voiced anything but optimism. "Indications so far," said an executive of Sears, Roebuck, "point to a record Christmas season. Only a war could stop us."

Across the U.S., from Boston's Jordan Marsh to San Francisco's Emporium, the Christmas push is on, and specialized holiday departments are already humming. Among all the Christmas catalogues descending on charge-account customers, Dallas' Neiman-Marcus last week mailed out a catalogue that, as usual, seeks to top 'em all on how to overspend. This year there is an Ampex console that contains a home TV camera, a color receiver, and a video tape recorder that stores TV films. Price: $30,000.

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