Retired schoolteacher Jim Pashkoski spent Monday climbing a ladder and hanging thousands of Christmas lights around his Middle Sackville, N.S., property.
“I am just fastening all them to this rope,” said Pashkoski as holiday carols blared full volume on the boom box.
Inside, Pashkoski’s wife and three daughters were baking enough Christmas cookies to feed an army.
“Christmas is our favourite time of the year with family,” said Pashkoski.
He’s not alone.
At Mic Mac Mall in Dartmouth, N.S., Woody the Talking Christmas Tree is still napping and he will not be seeing children until this Saturday.
Shoppers still dropped by early to kick-start the Christmas season.
“It’s absolutely great, it’s not long enough,” said Barb Caron.
Troy Sampson and his son Brodie spent the morning Christmas tree shopping.
“I had some gift cards and some Canadian Tire money, and I figured I might as well get a new one,” said Sampson, who bought a tree for roughly $400. “As soon as Remembrance Day ends, the Christmas season starts.”
Debbie Morgan is the co-owner of Hammock by Thornbloom, a home-décor retail store in Bedford, N.S.
“We are pretty much 70 per cent decorated, right around Thanksgiving,” said Morgan, who added many of her customers strategically choose to get busy decorating their homes now. “So when the holiday is there, they have a nice extended period to sit back and relax and enjoy.”
For those who say mid-November is too soon to be putting up Christmas decorations, Pashkoski said, “I got to do it now or won’t get done.”
