Kaylee Davis
Writer

With Halloween finished, people all across the world are
rushing straight into the winter holidays, and most importantly,
Christmas.
Aisles of holiday decorations can be found in stores and
brightly colored lights are starting to be seen hanging from
homes all across town.
While there seems to be a deep love for the fall season by

many people, it is reasonable to question why these same peo-
ple are willing to embrace the winter holiday decorations that

are seemingly put up earlier and earlier every year.
There is the mentality that “If you are not early, you are

late!”, and retail stores are happy to help with the early transi-
tioning from one holiday to the next.

Showcasing the next holiday season months in advance is a
marketing tactic that does work well for stores financially.
Whether it’s for buying groceries or just making a quick
shopping trip, people spend a lot of their time in stores.

A study by the National Association of Securities Deal-
ers and Automated Quotations found that the average person

spends an average of 41 minutes per trip to the grocery store,
not to mention additional time spent shopping for leisure.
This exposure to in-store shopping brings up the question of
whether or not stores’ early promotion of holidays, despite the
prosperity it brings to retail stores, is beneficial for consumers?
Early advertisement often leads people to focus and prepare
for the next big event without taking the time to celebrate the

one they are currently a part of. This emphasis that is not only
put on the next season but also the weekend or even the end
of the day leads people to spend their lives just waiting for the
future.

A study by Peter Tooney, Ph.D, found that the average per-
son thinks about the future around 59 times a day, or 21,535

times per year.
The study also explains that the human brain thinks about
what is upcoming naturally in order to prepare a response to
the situation.
Despite thinking ahead being a survival instinct, to most,
it goes farther than just planning and leads to a belief in the
future being better than the present.
This unrealistic viewpoint typically just leads to missing out
on the most fun things in life.

Some Marlow students are trying to find ways to coun-
ter this, Senior Oliver McInvale trying to stay involved with

school for the last year in attendance.
“I am putting more effort into my extracurriculars and trying
to do as much as I can in this last year,” McInvale said. “I am
not ready for my activities to be over and me having not done
enough in them.”
Despite the negative results of “living” in the future, having
goals to work towards is very important.
Sophomore Hyalie Adney often thinks about her future and
believes it to be very beneficial.
“I think it is a good thing because I worry about how my

future will turn out,” Adney explained. “I want a good, suc-
cessful future in my life.”

Planning is a vital part of success in life; however, constant-
ly thinking about the future is not always the best move.

Even with all of the exciting times upcoming, people are
encouraged to “stop and smell the roses” and give living more
in the moment a try.