You better watch out

But when her eye caught the department store’s Christmas display, a sparkling showcase of ornaments, snow globes, and stockings just past the “Indian Summer’’ home decor collection, her light-hearted mood darkened into a grinchlike glower.

“Too soon for all that,’’ the petite 54-year-old grumbled. “Way too soon.’’

Sorry, Marie. The leaves may have barely begun to fall, and the still-strong sun banishes thoughts of December. But like it or not, the holiday shopping season, in all its gift-giving cheer and consumerist frenzy, is already underway. It began even earlier than usual this year, with a few stores displaying Christmas items in July.

The accelerated arrival of ceramic Santa Clauses and faux-pine wreaths at retail outlets is a much-lamented phenomenon known as Christmas creep. And as retailers jockey for a piece of increasingly limited holiday budgets in a make-or-break game of one-upmanship, it shows little sign of retreat.

Last week, many stores across the region - from Macy’s to The Paper Store - began unveiling seasonal merchandise. At Rite Aid, Christmas came two weeks ago, ringing in an aisle full of cookie tins, berry swags, and $7.99 angel wall-hangings that read, “The joys of winter never melt away.’’

A couple of aisles over, Manny Hernandez, a 30-year-old father of two from Woburn, was stocking up on Halloween candy, piling bags of Skittles, mini-Snickers, and other treats into his basket. He hadn’t planned on buying his supply so early, but once he saw the overflowing display he figured he might as well get it out of the way. But winter wreaths and poinsettias in September? That was a bridge too far.

“You can’t get in the Christmas spirit in September, man,’’ Hernandez said, sighing at the notion. “Crazy, all this stuff so early. I don’t even think about it until after Thanksgiving, if I’m lucky.’’

But retailers, who typically rely on the holiday season for at least 25 percent of their annual sales, say Hernandez belongs to a dwindling minority, especially as a bleak economy forces families to snap up bargains whenever they can. With holiday sales at a premium, retailers are pulling out all the stops to attract cost-conscious consumers as early as possible.

“Everyone’s fighting for that Christmas dollar,’’ said Michael Levy, a marketing professor at Babson College. “The recession has only exacerbated the problem.’’

Still, Levy was amazed, and somewhat aghast, that Christmas displays are up in early fall, and said he interpreted it as a sign of desperation among retailers.

“You’d think that they’d wait until at least Halloween,’’ he said.

Many share that frustration, finding the September kickoff jarring and distasteful. Those who lament the relentless commercialization of a religious holiday find it particularly galling.

But stores are only responding to consumer demand, retailers and analysts say.

“If retailers weren’t successful with this strategy, those shelves, which are valuable real estate, would be shelving other things,’’ said Scott Krugman, a spokesman for the National Retail Federation, the industry’s largest trade group. “If you’re not doing this, you are just handing over market share to the competition.’’

Some 40 percent of consumers begin their shopping before Halloween, the group has found, usually starting off with decorations before moving on to gifts.

Despite the evidence of early shoppers, Krugman concedes retailers walk a fine line. Deck the halls or crank up the Christmas tunes too soon, and customers will recoil in disgust. As a result, many stores try to let shoppers know the merchandise is available without coming on too strong. ‘They are not in that place yet,’’ he said.

But with more people struggling with monthly bills yet reluctant to run up their credit cards, the long view is a growing necessity. Stores such as Sears, Lowe’s, and Home Depot say that many customers can’t afford to do all their shopping at once, and putting merchandise out earlier gives them a chance to plan and stagger their purchases.

“It allows customers to see what we have over the course of the fall,’’ said Cheryl Slavinsky, director of public relations at Rite Aid, a Pennsylvania-based drugstore chain that rolls its Christmas line out over the course of the month once the summer stock is sold off. “And it allows them to spread their holiday purchases out over several months.’’

Sears this summer began selling Christmas items in July, allowing people to buy artificial trees and other decorations over time on layaway.

At the Burlington Mall Sears last week, a picked-over floor display of outdoor holiday decorations covered a swath of the home goods section, just past grills and patio furniture.

Sears spokeswoman Natalie Norris-Howser said many customers took advantage of the promotion, no matter what the calendar said. “We didn’t hear any kind of backlash,’’ she said. “Many said that it gave them the nudge they needed.’’

It also gives stores valuable insight into consumer trends and helps them develop pricing strategies, analysts said.

“If they put it out and it’s selling well, they don’t need to do anything,’’ Levy said. “If it’s just sitting there, they know they better mark it down.’’

Last week at Michaels, a craft store with seasonal merchandise, customer after customer missed the small Christmas display of gingerbread houses and stuffed snowmen, tucked away near the back past the stuffed scarecrows, sunflowers, and straw bales. Those who noticed, by and large, were not pleased.

“Ugh,’’ said Sara Michaels, a 28-year-old Burlington mother who yesterday said she was still transitioning from summer mode. “Guess I’m behind.’’

Peter Schworm can be reached at schworm@globe.com.