“IS it that time already?” “Every year it gets earlier!” “Please! No tinsel! Not before December!” These are just some of the comments I overheard recently as passers-by saw me and my colleagues installing the holiday windows at the emporium of style and fashion where we work.

We are old hands at ignoring sidewalk commentary. We usually just carry on with our glue-gunning and our decoupage-ing. But this year the Greek chorus of surprise reached such a pitch that I feel compelled to respond and set the record straight. Brace yourselves. You may be shocked by what I am about to tell you.

Holiday promotions kick off at exactly the same time every year! Let me, a window dresser with more than 30 years of experience, assure you of the following: Dasher and Blitzen and Mrs. Claus and all the elves of the world have been working from the same notes, and the same schedule, for as long as we all can remember.

Here’s how the season unfolds: First come the holiday ornament shops. Some gauche folks unveil these bauble-filled boutiques right after Labor Day, but most opt for the middle of October. Next we have the interior decorations, the festooning of which takes place around Halloween at some Manhattan department stores. Others, demonstrating a certain chic restraint, usually wait until at least Nov. 2 or 3 before decking their halls.