• The New York Times , Wednesday, September 24, 2008 10:30 AM

Meanwhile, upon reading the headline for The New York Times ad column this morning -- "As the Leaves Change, Holiday Ads Arrive " -- I sputtered over my Starbucks: "Where have you been, Stu Elliott?" According to his lede, though, he and I have been out and about in similar places -- online and off -- for the last month.

Whatever happened to Halloween? It must have been the day after Labor Day that I was feeling sympathy for the Costco clerks who would have to listen for weeks to the tinny tune emanating from mechanical Xmas trees already on display. Elliott points out that most major retailers wait until Nov. 1 to decorate their stores for Christmas or to begin running ads with Christmas trappings, but that holiday merchandise can already be found on the web sites of chains like Target and Walmart.

As for the rest of the story, just plug in brands like Radio City Music Hall, Treeclassics.com, Bradford Editions, the Hamilton Collection and Hawthorne Village, along with the expected quotes. But the kicker is a classic. "If it wasn't working for me, I wouldn't do it," says Treeclassics.com's Leon Gamze. "I'm not that meshugeneh."

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