I braved the sparkly world of early Christmas displays today to hit up the local craft store for a few Halloween decorations. Thanks to the overflowing of Christmas, Halloween was on half-off clearance, and I was in the mood for some spooky purchases.

I like to think of myself as a vintage girl. And no…that’s not the same as “old”. I have a thing for turn of the century houses, antique furniture, and classic art. I like my music from another era, my favorite clothes have a timeless air, and when it comes to my Halloween decorations, I definitely lean toward the old-fashioned. Specifically, pieces from the twenties and thirties. The people of the roaring twenties definitely knew how to scare each other!

I was in luck today. There was a entire motherload of paper mache pumpkins, ghosts, and black cats in the style I was looking for. But even more than that, there was an entire treasure trove of things I hadn’t even thought of!

So, I ran around the store, filling my cart with things I didn’t need, but had to have, as I oooooed and ahhhhed over the die cut rats and crows. Gasped and eeeked over the witches and skeletons. All the while, trying to block out the Christmas carols playing in the background.

Finally, when I’d found every single item that screamed (pun intended) vintage, I drove my cart to the check out lane.

As I passed by, I glanced at the candy display. A flash of red caught my eye and I came to a screeching halt in front of something I hadn’t seen in years.

Did I mention I had a taste for the vintage?

I’ve often longed for the candy I loved when I was a kid. Confections no longer stocked in stores. Delicacies relegated to my tastebud memories.

I think I giggled. One of those creepy little giggles you might hear coming from an old man in a strip club. It was straight up, old fashioned, candy lust. I was officially a candy-phile.

I looked both ways, making sure no one was watching me before I shoveled the treats into my cart and hurried to the check out counter to pay.

Once I reached my car, I tore into the wrapper, eating a corner of the paper as I savaged my long lost Zagnut bar in a sugar induced frenzy. Once I’d finished the first bar, I ripped open the wrapper on the second treat, succumbing to the addiction without a single thought.

Mallo Cups were my second favorite candy from days gone by and they were more than worth the wait.

It didn’t take long for the sugar high to crash into a candy coma. Thankfully, by then I was home with no access to sweets. That didn’t stop me from craving more, and I may need to seek out help to stop me from going back to the craft store tomorrow for whatever they have left. In fact…if I get up really early I can be there when the doors open first thing in the morning.

Can anyone say “intervention”?

Until the next time…I’ll be hanging up my Halloween decorations and eating carrot sticks!

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!