Reader Andy sent us this e-mail he received from Sears as an example of Christmas Creep. He was confused that the retailer has already started its holiday marketing. A look through the Consumerist archives leads to a different perspective. It indicates that maybe Sears has figured out when the major gift-giving holidays actually are.

Usually, the stores of Sears Holdings Corporation are way ahead of the curve when it comes to holiday decorations. They’ve pushed “last-minute gifts” in mid-November, and early Christmas displays in July and airing holiday-themed commercials in September.

While this e-mail uses the good name of the holiday season to coax Andy back into a Sears store, think of it this way: it shows that Sears is at least aware that there’s more than six months until Christmas. Maybe they’ll hold off on putting the bears and ornaments out until maybe July this year?