Fall is in the air, NJ – Happy Valentine’s Day!

The big day is almost here, New Jersey. Time to get those chocolate hearts and beautiful flowers for that special someone.

Well OK, maybe we still have a few more holidays to get through first before we plan that romantic dinner with that someone special. After all, there's Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas to get through before Valentine's Day actually makes an appearance.

So why point this out now? That's easy. Just to be ahead of retailers who absolutely love to jump on the holidays. Much like how back-to-school sales begin a week after the kids get done for the summer, rushing the holidays is something that's become way to common in recent years.

Some retailers put Christmas decorations out as early as September, not far from Labor Day weekend. For those who actually do put holiday decorations out come Labor Day weekend, you're almost four months too early.

Now maybe the displays aren't big or front and center yet, but they're there. We've all seen it at one time or another.

It's similar to the Halloween candy being sold as soon as we hit August. Seriously, who's actually going to save that until Oct. 31? Most will just eat it all only to have to buy it again.

Perhaps maybe that's the true idea of retailers rushing the holidays. Give us a reason to keep having to buy again and again. But let's face it, rushing the holidays has become the norm.

So why not look far ahead and start thinking about Valentine's Day now? After all, Oct. 14 will be the four-month mark on the calendar before that big romantic day. Retailers better get a jump on it if they want to be ahead of the "rush."

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.