Remember when retailers had the decency to wait until Thanksgiving to start the big Christmas push? That's when the symbols of the season still belonged to us, still felt fresh and joyful rather than the Pavlovian cues to excess that retailers want them to be.

Don't expect any relief from that noxious trend in the coming holiday season -- this jarring little display of Christmas greed cheer popped up at our local Ralphs nearly three months early, on Oct. 1.

Pimping out Christmas. Ho ho ho, if you get my drift.