It’s the middle of October. I should be seeking out the perfect pumpkin and hanging spooky decorations. You know…stretching out artificial spider webs to disguise the real ones I just can’t bring myself to knock down. And staking out a giant lawn display with vampires and zombies, to scare off all the children who might lay claim to my stash of bite-sized Snickers bars and Tootsie Rolls. But when I hit the big box store to find the perfect fall decorations, what did I find?
Christmas trees.
And not just the trees. It was the lights, the decorations, and the boxes of cards to be mailed. And what of the giant scary lawn decorations? Those have been relegated to the back of the store with other unwanted items, like the left over patio furniture and tiki torches.
Are you with me?
It’s October 12, not November 12. I thought we were in the Halloween season. Time of witches and ghosts. Jack-o-lanterns and ghouls. Not reindeer or elves…not mistletoe or Santa Claus.
I want tricks and treats, not streets filled with shoppers!
Should I really be concerned with Christmas shopping this early? Yes, I know some of you have already done all your Christmas shopping, and I’m here to tell you…I hate you. I do. Every year I tell myself I will shop early to avoid the lines and the stress. And every year I wait until after Thanksgiving. What does this mean? If you ask me, it means the crazy rush to put up Christmas displays is wasted on the vast majority of us who are still in height of Halloween spirit in the middle of October.
I want things to go back to the way it was when I was a kid.
October was Halloween. November was Thanksgiving. And December was all about Christmas. You didn’t shop until the day after Thanksgiving. You didn’t put up your tree before carving the turkey. And you damn sure didn’t wander through stores fully decked out with Christmas finery smack dab in the middle of October. Is it really too much to ask? Isn’t there more to the holiday season than blatant commercialism?
I guess I’m just old fashioned. But I’m warning the stores today…I’ve decided to boycott every store with Christmas decorations up in October. Sure that means I may have to grocery shop at the gas station…I can live with that. I’m making a statement after all! Dad always said it only takes one voice to start a revolution.
Hey…viva la revolucion!
Until the next time…I’ll be looking for pumpkins at the farmer’s market!