As most are aware, the holiday season is upon us. Most of us saw Christmas decorations share shelf space with Halloween candy, and some of us vented our collective frustration of the overlapping of holidays via social media.

There is a reason why it seems there’s no breathing room between holidays: There’s less than a month between Black Friday (Nov. 29) and the beginning of Hanukkah (Dec. 23).

Black Friday is widely regarded as the biggest shopping experience of the year for both customers and retailers. But time’s not on anyone’s side this year, and retailers have kickstarted the shopping season with sale days that may justify decorating for Christmas before Halloween.

Cash Back Day debuts Nov. 7. Customers earn up to 20 percent cash back on items purchased during those 24 hours. Stores participating in this retail holiday include Amazon, Sephora, Macy’s and more. What’s the catch? There are a few: Cashback Day is online-only; shoppers must register with RetailMeNot.com to get deals; and returns will show up within 45 days of purchase. You’ll get your savings… post-holiday.   

Then there’s Nov. 11: While U.S. retailers hold sales for Veterans Day, retailers in China celebrate  Singles Day. Launched in the early ‘90s, Guang Gun Jie, or “Bare Sticks Day” was considered the anti-Valentine’s Day. However, it was less of a celebration of being single and more emphasis on matchmaking and retail therapy as consolation. In 2009, Alibaba helped popularize Singles Day by securing international brands like Apple, Dyson and Kindle, and celebrities like Taylor Swift, Mariah Carey and Nicole Kidman to promote the retail event.

In 2018, sales earned from Singles Day were $30.8 billion, compared to Amazon Day earnings of $4 billion and Black Friday sales in the U.S. of more than $14 billion in four days.

Some retail experts think if Singles Day was rooted in self-care than self-deprecation, then it could truly go global. But let’s just get through this holiday season before making any big changes, OK?