Originally Posted by ngdawg

Christmas stuff goes out about 100 days before the holiday, so about Sept.17. So dumb, but I found out a reason for it and why we see winter coats in August: At the turn of the century, season-centric items, particularly clothing, were ordered by catalog and generally shipped to the local general stores, where they would then be picked up. Because of the manner in which these items were ordered and shipped, it took a long time to complete the transactions. Despite the advancements, the 'custom' of having things ready a full season before they're needed simply hasn't changed and has become a tradition instead.