Kmart Aired First Holiday Ad A Whopping 106 Days Before Christmas

Monday September 9, a mere 106 days before Christmas, Kmart aired its very first holiday ad of the season.

"This might give new meaning to the phrase Christmas Creep," Kathy Grannis, a spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation, told Ad Age.

The infamous Christmas creep isn't this guy:

Rather it is the dreaded merchandising trend in which holiday marketing creeps up earlier and earlier every year. In this case, when it's still summer.

Or, as Urban Dictionary defines it, the "universally hated, market driven phenomenon that if left unchecked will eventually culminate in an uninterrupted decade of concatenated carol medleys, closely followed by a glorious moment of frantic arson destroying every Christmatastasized mall in America."

The Kmart ad - made by DraftFCB, which also created the retailer's viral sensations "Ship My Pants" and "Big Gas Savings" - actually features a Christmas creep. A large ginger bread man creeps up on a woman in a cubicle, accompanied by a voiceover stating, "Don't let the holidays sneak up on you. Shop early with Kmart free layaway. … Kmart. Get in, get more Christmas."

Kmart told Business Insider that it wasn't prepared to share its holiday plan and strategy just yet - no word on if future ads will feature ridiculous puns - but the early start might inspire other advertisers to get in the game, too.

Last year, the retailer premiered its first holiday spot October 28. Target made headlines when it released a holiday ad October 15 last year.

September 9 is a pretty big, and terrifying, leap.