So yeah...christmas and halloween...they overlap in the "Land of the Big Box", for sure. We know that. But what does it mean for our understanding of the holidays (broad definition)?
I raised this question at a Yale-based telephone conference today focused on the emerging interface of Halloween and Christmas in retail America. One of the conference participants forwarded me this picture, taken on Halloween night 2009.
Anyone who claims that Halloween and Christmas exist in their own Big Box bubbles--with no interactions--needs to rethink their (not "his or her") hypotheses. Tinsel is clearly used to make a dress in the above photo. Sure, anyone can go dig into the closet and find random Christmas objects for use in Halloween costumes...but the sheer promiximty of Halloween and Christmas merchandise in the pre-Oct-31 Big-Box retail environment is fueling increased--and potentially novel--interactions between the two formerly-disparate holidays.
Look for an increasing number of Christmas-inspired Halloween costumes in the years to come. In addition, look for evolving notions of holiday boundaries in current and future generations. Jack-o-lantern Bubble lights on the Christmas tree. Jumbo Christmas stockings as trick-or-treat bags. These are just the beginning.
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