Merry Christmas! I can just sense the "yuletide" in the air, whatever the hell that is. Finished your Christmas shopping yet? No? Oooo. Better hurry up with that.

Christmas merchandise has been at Costco stores since Sept. 1 and will begin showing up on some Home Depot shelves Sept. 19. Kmart and Sears will begin selling Christmas trimmings Sept. 25. And Walmart and J.C. Penney will start selling Christmas merchandise before month's end.

You don't want to wait too long to do your Christmas shopping because if you do it will interfere with your Halloween shopping. Hahaha. Oh: "Retailers...know a substantial number of consumers will pick out Christmas tree ornaments even as they're picking out Halloween pumpkins."

Santa Claus!

[USA Today. Photo: Weaselmcfee/ Flickr]