Listening to Christmas Music Too Early Is Bad for You

I'm not sure I'd ever seen my girlfriend this angry before. We were driving through Houston when we hit this stretch of road with shops and restaurants all decked out for the holidays. Lights, ornaments, the whole shabang. What upset her? It was the MIDDLE OF OCTOBER! So I don't blame her.

And according to Linda Blair, a clinical psychologist in England not from the Exorcist, listening to Christmas music too early is bad for your mental health. She says that the songs are a constant reminder of all the things you need to do for the holidays. Buy gifts, cater parties, organize travel, etc. She also says that this is especially hard on any employees at the stores where it's nothing but Christmas music for almost 3 straight months.

The Tampa Bay Times recently did some research on when stores will start playing Christmas music. Here is when you can expect it in some of the major retailers.

• It's already playing in the following stores - Best Buy, Sears, Kmart, Michael's, Ulta
• It starts today (11/9/17) at H&M
• 11/11/17 - Office Depot, Office Max
• 11/13/17 - Walmart
• 11/16/17 - Verizon
• 11/18/17 - Staples
• 11/23/17 (Thanksgiving Day) - JC Penney
• 11/24/17 (Black Friday) - Target, Home Depot, Lowe's, Albertson's, Nordstrom, Foot Locker, Dunkin Donuts

So based on all this, if you know someone who works at Best Buy, Sears, Kmart, Michael's, Ulta or H&M, buy them a drink. Help them through this rough time.