Getting a Big Head Start on the Holidays

It’s never too early to do some holiday shopping.

There may be more than 350 days left before Christmas, but it would be hard to tell by looking at the rows and stacks of Christmas decorations, gift wrap and cards at Ventura County stores.

Except for the “50% Off” signs taped, glued and otherwise affixed to shop windows, shelves and display cases, it looks more like days before--not days after--Christmas 1998.

As generally is the case immediately after the holidays, those discount signs have attracted plenty of attention from holiday shoppers with some foresight. Assuming they have a place to store the wrapping paper, ribbon, ornaments and greeting cards for the next 11 months, there may be no better time to buy Christmas accouterment.

Of course, merchandise is moving fast and supplies quickly will be replaced by hearts, pink teddy bears and other signs of the next Hallmark moment, Valentine’s Day. Speaking of Hallmark, our first stop in our search for discounted Christmas gear was Robbie’s Hallmark store at The Oaks shopping center in Thousand Oaks. The ornament shelves were pretty bare and we were told that Christmas items could disappear altogether at any time, as supplies drop to a precious few.

But there were still some good deals to be had nonetheless. A selection of store-specialty Keepsake ornaments were priced at half off. The selection included a Mrs. Potato Head ornament regularly priced at $10.95, a Superman lunch box-style tin regularly priced at $10.95 and a Joyful Messenger angel ornament usually selling for $18.95.

Gift wrap was harder to find--mostly 22 1/2-foot rolls of clear wrap, regularly priced at $2.95. Rubber stamps, lapel pins, paper cups, napkins and greeting cards (including Far Side Christmas cards generally priced at $12 per dozen) also were discounted 50%.

Across from Robbie’s Hallmark, the Joys gift and collectibles store had an impressive selection of discounted holiday merchandise. Cards and decorations were knocked off 40%, as were Christmas stockings, regularly priced at $27.99 and $17.99.

The store had a selection of Annalee handcrafted Christmas dolls discounted by 20%. A Santa doll holding a pencil and a list of children’s names was marked down from $75.99 to $60.74.

Elsewhere at The Oaks, the Disney Store had 50% discounts on sets of Lion King character ornaments regularly priced at $20 and a set of Disney heroines (including Sleeping Beauty and the Little Mermaid) generally priced at $25.

At the Seasonal Concepts store--a shop devoted to Christmas items--all inventory was on sale, including live Douglas fir and Monterey pine trees. (Although they very likely won’t last until December.)

For a wide selection of gift wrap we would suggest the Target store at the Camarillo Towne Center. When we visited, the supply of wrap, lights, ornaments and other holiday items was marked down 50%.