Alright, here's the deal. Rockefeller Center's Christmas Tree lighting isn't until December 2nd, and the tree will go up in mid-November.

So, we usually tend to abide by the belief that until the Rockefeller Christmas Tree is glowing, shining its radiance into the city, it isn't holiday season.

Still, holiday gear at Duane Reade and seasonal cups at Starbucks continually thwart this belief.

Sign after sign seems to suggest that November 1st is, in fact, the beginning of the holiday season in New York City. There are seasonal deals at Target and Toys 'R' Us. Macy's deals will be starting up any second.

The Winter Village in Bryant Park is open, and Smorgasburg/Brooklyn Flea's Holiday Market has begun. What other signs point to the undeniable fact that it is, in fact, holiday season in NYC?

Read on to find out.

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1. Starbucks' cups

If you purchased a steaming hot beverage at Starbucks post-Halloween, you know they're coming piping hot in their festive cups.

If Starbucks thinks it's holiday season, that's good enough for us. 

Starbucks is also rolling in the holiday season with their stellar holiday beverages: they've got their classic eggnog and gingerbread lattes available starting November 1st, as well as their peppermint mocha and chestnut praline latte. Delicious!

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They're also having an annual Instagram contest, so snap a selfie with your red cups and then hit up social media with the hashtag #RedCupContest for a chance to win a Starbucks eGift card.

All we really know is that we saw Starbucks' red cups on the walk to work this morning, and they made us feel festive.

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2. Winter Village at Bryant Park

The Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park is open for all the holiday cheer you could possibly imagine.

It's been open as of October 30th, in fact. So what can you do there?

We've got some ideas. You could chow down on Wafles & Dinges, or Enfes Turkish Food, or La Sonrisa Empanadas or any of the other supremely delicious delicacies for sale in the Winter Village.

Or, of course, you could shop at their more than 125 boutique-like shops, in which they'll be selling everything from jewelry to decorative goods, local foods, and apparel. 

Plus, of course, you could skate at that dope free admission ice rink. Like, it's really totally free. Unless you have to rent skates. It costs $15 to rent skates until November 20th. From November 20th through January 3rd, it costs $19 to rent skates.

Still, the rink is very excellent. They've got individual and group skating lessons, free lockers and locks available with purchase, ice bites, and skating shows and special events.

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3. All drugstores

Have you been to a drugstore within the past several days? We have too, and we found their stock completely inundated with holiday memorabilia. 

Halloween is over now, but maybe you're a procrastinator like us. We happened to pop into Duane Reade yesterday to grab some last minute gear for our Halloween get-togethers.

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Instead of cauldrons and fake spiderwebs and everything pumpkins, what did we see?

We saw wreaths and fake Christmas trees and tree ornaments and even a couple of menorah options. Remember, we're talking about the day before Halloween here. We were out of luck for Halloween decorations completely.

Now that Halloween is a thing of the past, you can bet your bottom dollar that every drugstore will be overrun with Santa hats and Christmas lights. We might even buy some to decorate our apartments, because we're festive like that.

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4. Brooklyn Flea/Smorgasburg Holiday Market

Did you wake up in a cold sweat this morning, remembering that maybe you wouldn't be able to get Smorgasburg when it was cold out?

Well, you can. This holiday season, Smorgasburg is moving inside from November through March, and they're colliding excellence with Brooklyn Flea to do it. 

Is this the most phenomenal fusion of the holiday season? Well, anyone who's tried peppermint hot chocolate might beg to differ, but we think it just might be. 

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This holiday market is going down every weekend starting November 1st from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. They'll have nearly 200 vendors at their 50,000 square-foot indoor market, nearly 200 of which will be food vendors. So basically you can eat to your heart's delight.

Gifts and eating? Yeah, sounds pretty good to us. Guess we don't hate the start of the holiday season as much as we thought we did.

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5. Holiday deals

Yup, that's right. Waiting until black Friday to rack up the holiday gifts, coupons, and deals is far, far in the past. 

Want the scoop on holiday deals? Well, we've got them for you, even though it sort of pains us to do so. Like, can we get a Thanksgiving season one time, capitalism?

Apparently not. Anyway, here are the deals.

Target's holiday promotions start on November 1st, and include free shipping and returns until December 25th. Yes, there is a Targets in East Harlem (517 East River Plaza) and there's a Target at the Atlantic Terminal Mall and another one on Flatbush Avenue.

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Also, Target's Cartwheel app will offer 50% off on a different toy every day from November 1st through December 24th.

There's more. Toys "R" Us will start offering deals and coupons on November 1st. Like, for instance, you'll be able to get a free "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" Lego gift with any Lego Star Wars purchase of $40 or more.

So, get your shop on, we guess? 

Check out Which NYC Stereotypes Are Actually True?

[Feature Image Courtesy I Don't Do Clubs]