In merchandising, back to school is the period, predominantly in August in the Northern Hemisphere, in which students and their parents purchase supplies and apparel to prepare themselves for the upcoming school year. In the United States, back to school shopping is a way to associate Labor Day in the First Monday in September, a widely observed holiday but one with no inherent celebrations, with a shopping tradition, much as Memorial Day is associated with summer products and Thanksgiving has been associated with shopping for Christmas gifts. Labor Day has since become symbolic as the unofficial "end of summer," since most schools and colleges begin their school year around that time.