The snow is falling, the stockings are hung, and there is holiday cheer everywhere. Turn on the television and the heart-warming sight of holiday advertisements greet you.

But wait. It’s September and 90 degrees out, and what I felt on my walk to class was the furthest thing from holiday cheer.

Welcome to the season of inopportune advertising. Let the complaints begin.

I’ve seen people tear their hair out about early advertising. Most of them it seems, are of the opinion that Christmas advertisements should begin after Thanksgiving. Logical, yes. But since when was capitalism logical?

I, for one, am all for it. Bring on the commercials. Since I watch most of my television online anyway, the commercials I am forced to load can usually be circumvented by a quick trip to the fridge. But there are real reasons to continue the trend. Imagine if Christmas advertising were limited to December. Not only would the four people who manage to finish their Christmas shopping early be out of luck, but the gaping hole in air time would need to be filled with something. Why not another painfully awkward conversation between Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld to pass the time? How about a reality show?

OK, bad example. But early advertising for the big products drives up demand and keeps prices reasonable by starting sales early, thus increasing competition and letting companies keep a finger on the pulse of American consumerism.

By tossing products into the public eye early in the season, companies are able to see what attracts the most attention and prepare for the inevitable Christmas rush.

Without someone telling me what to buy in October, I might not know what to do with myself. Sure, I could shop willy-nilly and see what I find, but without a well-written or at least overly persistent commercial following me to the store, I could just as easily stay at home and save my money.

The commercials don’t hurt anyone. If you don’t like it, turn off the television and read a book.

In the end, even Scrooge would hate to give away early advertising. It gives everyone something to complain about at the water cooler. And isn’t that what Christmas is all about?

Libby Davis is a sophomore news-editorial journalism and history major from Coppell.