Wow, is it Christmas already? It used to be that the Christmas shopping didn’t get into full swing until after Thanksgiving. Now, Christmas merchandise is hitting the shelves at about the same time as Halloween costumes.

In the current economic downturn, retailers apparently are trying to get an early start on what they hope will be a profitable holiday shopping season. Stretching the season may also benefit shoppers who are trying to spread their holiday expenditures over a longer period of time. We want the retailers to have a good year and a good Christmas season, but there’s something about Christmas displays in early October that just doesn’t seem right.

Maybe it has something to do with how the extended shopping period seems to shift the focus of the Christmas season even more toward material things. Too many people will spend far more money than they can afford this season to buy things that they probably don’t really need. Then they will spend the first few months of next year trying to find the money to pay for what they’ve bought.

In the last several weeks, Americans have witnessed a serious economic downturn that can be attributed at least in part to financial institutions taking ill-advised risks in an attempt to make greater profits. It’s been noted that, although many Americans are angry about this situation, the way these financial institutions have handled money is not unlike the way many Americans conduct their own fiscal affairs. They accept mortgages they should know they can’t afford to pay off and load themselves up with credit debt to buy cars, take trips or satisfy other immediate wants and hope that when the bills come due they will be able to figure out a way to pay them.

We want everyone to have a wonderful holiday, but perhaps this is the year to take a little different approach. Maybe this is the year to follow the advice of local credit counselors and set a budget before you start your holiday shopping. Maybe this is the year to cut back on holiday spending and avoid putting too much on credit cards.

If you have plenty of money to finance your own holiday celebration, instead of splurging for your own family, maybe this is the year to share some of the bounty with people who are less fortunate.

OK, so maybe it’s not too early to start thinking about Christmas, but perhaps we should think about it in a different way. Shopping and buying gifts is a fun part of the holiday tradition, but planning now to spend within your means and share with others who need help might increase the joy of the season both before and after Dec. 25.