Starting to think about the holidays???

Wow! I can't believe that I'm starting to plan for the holidays in August! Is it just me or are the retail stores featuring holiday items earlier and earlier? Living outside of Atlanta, GA where it's 90+ degrees in August, I have a really hard time getting my kids ready to go back to pre-school, much less thinking about the holiday season!
I have always loved the holidays, beginning with Thanksgiving and ending with New Year's. I remember going to visit family in New York and going into the city and seeing all of the beautiful store displays and going to FAO Schwarz to see all of the cool toys that hadn't made it down South yet.
These days, with Halloween advertising beginning in August, I feel like some of the fun is disappearing...at least for me. Of course, that may have to do with the fact that my kids (who are almost 3 and 4.5...my son would want me to make sure to include the "half") have already started to ask for costumes, candy and other Halloween items. I typically begin to get ready for Halloween the beginning of October. My husband knows that fall has come when I pull out my collection of gourds and pinecones, drag the scarecrow out of the basement and begin to think about costumes for everyone.
This year, I doubt that I'll have much say in the costumes my kids wear, as they both have distinct opinions about who they want to be (Dora and a Transformer), though that may change before "the big day". I remember being stunned last year when I went to get costumes at how expensive they've become...I can't imagine having 3+ kids and having to buy or make costumes for each of them!
What do you think? Are the holidays being commercialized too early or am I just a curmudgeon?? I'd love to hear what you think! And for those of you who don't think it's too early, here are a couple of Halloween themed hair clips...hope that you like them!