Miscellaneous Debris

With rising glee and creeping dread I greet the sight of Halloween merchandise in our big box stores. It's wonderful, don't get me wrong, but it's all so fleeting.

In years past the anticipation would get the better of me, and I would stalk through the stores right after July 4th, hoping for a glimpse, any glimmer, of something Halloween related.

Then, once the merchandise was out, I could spend hours, days, pouring over items, comparing styles and designs, figuring out just what would work best in the display.

But today it's not the same. Everything's so rushed, the season so condensed, it's impossible not feel a bit cheated. Where once it seemed the days stretched endlessly and there was lots of time to mull decorating options, now it's a necessity that, as soon as the merchandise hits the shelf, you better be ready to get what you want, because all to soon the'll be relegating it to the secondary sales section.

Don't get me wrong, I obviously still love the season, but it feels like it's getting short shrifted.