“Deck the halls with boughs of holly” – some say this phrase shouldn’t be uttered until after we’ve celebrated Turkey Day but it is difficult not to don a Santa hat when wherever you look, you’re met with Bing Crosby singing sweet melodies and a glistening Christmas tree in every store.
Nevertheless, Nordstrom has taken a very strong, uncommon and dignified stance in its rebellion against American’s desire to celebrate Christmas for almost two entire months. Over the past four years, Nordstrom has stressed its desire to keep Jolly Old Saint Nicholas out of stores until Turkey Day has been celebrated fully. “We believe in celebrating one holiday at a time,” said Nordstrom’s spokesman Colin Johnson. Now, this appears to be a very noble gesture but as a skeptic, I feel this “Scroogery” has been orchestrated to compete with the hullabaloo of Black Friday, Door Busting Sales and any other holiday ploy to lure shoppers.
In a sea of red and green, sales racks and credit card debt, what is the best way for one store to stand apart from the rest? Go against the grain, of course. Nordstrom’s steadfast stance against premature holiday cheer is without doubt, strategic, to say the least. By taking a stand against the popularity of hasty holiday revelry, Nordstrom has actually rocketed to the forefront of coolness. If you can’t beat ‘em…pretend you don’t want to.
In my opinion, this is a perfect example of how to wholly position a brand as rebellious and modish, yet overtly classic. And as much as Nordstrom wants to pretend they are just too cool to care, I’m catching on to their trickery and appreciate every single “unintentional” choice that lead to the lack of holiday spirit.