Talk about a holiday rush.
The Fulton Mall started piping in Christmas tunes on Wednesday, a full day before Thanksgiving, leaving some shoppers feeling that the borough’s premiere shopping street was trying to put people in a spending mood too soon.
“I don’t like it,” said Jai Stroud-Garrett, 30, of Prospect Heights, as she strolled past the speakers on lightposts along the Downtown strip. “I know it’s weird to say, but it’s disrespectful to Thanksgiving. We haven’t even had Thanksgiving dinner yet.”
The early-bird Christmas songs include oldies like “Jingle Bells” and “White Christmas,” as well jazzier tunes like Frank Sinatra’s “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and Nat “King” Cole’s “The Christmas Song.”
Michael Burke, interim president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, said that the music began a bit early this year because of a contractor schedule.
“It’s a little earlier than any of us would like — we’d prefer this go on after Thanksgiving,” Burke admitted. “But the contractor is on a really tight schedule.”
Shoppers have noticed more than just the early debut of holiday music, as trees and decorations appear days before turkeys are popped out of the oven.
“The tree was up last week, way too early,” said Stash McCarthy. “The music is too early, too. They should wait until after Thanksgiving.”
The Mall is also festooned with yuletide decorations — but shoppers were mostly miffed by the music.
“The decorations are all right,” said Dominic Brown, 20, who endured the Christmas tunes while waiting for a friend. “But the music is too much. I think they should wait at least two weeks into December.”
Some fear that the unseasonal Christmas jazz presents a dangerous trend — and could leave shopper’s ears ringing with jingle-bells and sleigh songs all year round.
“In general, it’s weird,” said one shopper. “If they keep this up, next year they’ll start playing it the day after Christmas.”
Not everyone’s put off by the holiday mismatch — some shoppers are reveling in the early holiday cheer.
“By the time Thanksgiving comes around, you’re already in the holiday spirit,” said Myrna Burke, 59, a nanny from Crown Heights. “So I think it’s all right.”
Others have found a simple solution — avoiding the problem entirely.
“I have my headphones,” said Shalewa Mackall, 43, a teacher from Bed-Stuy, “so it doesn’t bother me.”
Reach reporter Colin MIxson at cmixson@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4514.
