The wintery scene looked plucked straight from North Pole — Christmas trees, shiny ornaments, wrapping paper, the works.
But there's a reason why this Okemos Meijer's holiday display stood out — it was only October.
Retailers have already geared up for the winter festivities, leaving students to wonder how early is too early for the holidays.
"When you stretch it out, by the time it comes, you're sick of it," said hospitality business freshman Stephen Saunders.
Other MSU students were enthralled by the winter shopping rush, including Katie Finn, who was distracted from her grocery shopping by Christmas decorations.
"It reminds me of home," the no-preference freshman said. "It gets you excited for Thanksgiving."
But the holidays didn't always come so soon.
"We used to see the merchandise come out closer to Thanksgiving," said MSU retailing professor Patricia Huddleston.
After a recession in the late '80s hit American businesses — especially retailers — hard, they began pushing for an extended Christmas season, she said.
Today, the Halloween candy is still out by the time the eggnog appears.
Take retail giant Macy's, for example.
Three months before Dec. 25, the department store pulled out the Christmas tree displays, wreaths and ornaments.
"We start decorating our stores beginning in mid-September," said Jennifer McNamara, a spokeswoman for Macy's.
And other stores in the mall aren't immune to the early holiday blitz.
Even though it was only the second weekend in November, Tracee Craft donned a red Santa Claus hat while she sold cell phones for Sprint from a kiosk in Meridian Mall.
"There are already Christmas shoppers," Craft said. "People are coming up to me and asking, 'Should I give it to them now or should I wait?'"
A few hundred feet from the assistant manager, Santa Claus manned his throne and poinsettia plants spruced up the mall.
"It's here," said Craft, adding that the preseason decorations get people into the holiday shopping mentality.
With the average person spending almost $800 on presents and seasonal merchandise, retail sales are expected to reach more than $457 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation.
"It's one of the biggest shopping periods of the year," McNamara said.
Across the street from Meridian Mall, the holiday merchandise has been out for almost a month at the Okemos Meijer.
"We began stocking our shelves for Christmas products in the middle of October," said Meijer spokeswoman Stacie Behler.
Hundreds of stockings, from the traditional red to Darth Vader varities, cover the aisles. Thirty fake Christmas trees, some blinking, others with colored lights, look like they were taken straight from "Charlie Brown's Christmas."
"We've never waited until December to have things out for Christmas," Behler said.
But in Lansing, some smaller businesses don't follow the early holiday trend that their big retail competitors do.
At the Lansing Art Gallery, the festivities have always arrived a little bit later.
The gallery's winter season begins Friday, when the Christmas tree at the state Capitol building is lit.
"It's the perfect night to start," said Catherine Babcock, the executive director.
Even though business doubles, Babcock said the gallery doesn't rush holiday merchandise before mid-November.
"That sets the tone," she said.
