2012 HALLOWEEN COUNT DOWN!!!

[Pumpkin_Man]

I'll start looking at Halloween decorations for sale at the end of July as they will be on sale as early as the 23rd. They usualy put out the Halloween merchandise at the end of July. August, the stores are in the full Halloween Swing, with it climaxing in September. The unfortunate happenstance is that it actualy starts to taper off in Ocbober and they're already making way for the Christmas merchandise. Last october when I shopped for my "Grim Repear" gift person, they aready had 4 shelvs of Christmas decorations, Christmas music playing form the Muzak system, and one sparse shelf of Halloween decorations.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

That was true around here also, Mike. Stores were full of Halloween in July & August, but by October things were picked over and Christmas was moving in.

[Pumpkin_Man]

I know exactly what you mean. I am going to do my Halloween shopping early this year. Don't have a choice. By October, and I mean early October, everything is all picked over.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

In the craft and hobby stores, I can understand it. After all, people who want to make something themselves do have to work ahead of the seasons. But I see this going on in stores that are merely selling decorations, or holiday-themed shirts, etc.

[Pumpkin_Man]

Exactly! It goes on in every store, and it has a tendency to detract from the holiday itself. It's especialy the case with Christmas. Some stores actualy have Christmas music playing over the MUZAK system as early as the 30th of September, and by the time December actualy gets here, people are already sick and tired of hearing Christmas music. I have a habbit of playing Chrismtas music when I'm doing my holiday cleaning in November, but that's to motavate me to do the cleaning. I love to listen to Christmas music mainly in December, and that's when I do. I will confess that the Christmas records and CDs are out a little before Thanksgiving, but they are put away on the 2nd of January.

I guess it's 'to each his/her own,' but I like to celebrate Halloween in October, Thanksgiving in November and Christmas in December. Of course, I do spend a lot of time on this forum, and I do celebrate "Little Halloween" with a horror movie and a plastic jack o'lantern, but I like each season for it's own uniqueness.

Mike

[Pumpkin56]

Places like Michaels and Garden Ridge always start going thin on the Halloween stuff in October. I usually have to get my pumpkins super early to have enough to carve before the stores run out. However, for just fun decor and props I can count on Spirit to have everything. And then there is always the fun online shopping I do year round. Those pumpkins though, they can be tricky.

[zoltan hound dracula]

249 DAYS TO HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[The Duchess]

Oh my! 248 days to go till Halloween!



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The Duchess

[Pumpkin_Man]

For some reason, in my area, pumpkins are not a problem, because, in addition to Halloween, a lot of the folks around here use them for Thanksgiving decor. There's a farm just outside Joliet that sells huge pumpkins, which is where I shop for my Halloween pumpkins, but I have a carved jack o'lantern in the house through all of October.

As for shopping on line, you can pretty much find anything for sale at any time of the year, be it Halloween decorations of Advent Candles. Yes, I actualy do order Advent Candles in July, because if I wait until Fall, they won't arrive until after the first Sunday of Advent. And for some reason, pink and purple candles are as rare as hens teeth in this area.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

Often you can find tapers in various colors at Walmart for under a dollar apiece. They might be more pastel than the darker Advent colors, but you can find lavender and pink candles there.

[Pumpkin_Man]

Maybe in your area, Murf, but not in my area. I looked at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Martial Fields (before they went out of business) Maceys, every drug store that carried candles, you name it. It was almost as though there was a "conspiracy" to keep me from buying purple and pink candles. I usualy order them from an on-line business that specialized in religious themed articles, such as Advent Candles, Rosaries, Torahs, Korans, you name it.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

Well, perhaps we have those options around here because so many people still do go to church in this area.

I can frequently find Advent candles in a store called Lifeway, which is a Christian gift shop. It is seemingly Baptist (a non-liturgical denomination), but apparently even the Baptists and other non-liturgical denominations are starting to observe Advent, at least in their homes. I also saw Advent candles at Hobby Lobby this past season.

[zoltan hound dracula]

227 DAYS TO GO

[Pumpkin_Man]

Now it's 225 days to go! I am really enjoying this blessed weather we're having, though. I drove the bike into work this morning, and I will be taking it in for a new rear tire and an oil change on Monday the 9th of April.

I can't wait to make my first 'haunted road trip.' I haven't yet decided on a destination, but I want this one to be a looloo.

Mike

[Pumpkin56]

Hard to believe that April is almost here which will mean that we're half-way there, Pumpkinheads!!!

ohmygosh! I better start preparing!