Day 7: Give Me ALL the Holiday Things!

Usually I don’t buy Halloween décor out of season. I HATE being rushed through the year and I don’t like that the commercialization of the holidays seem to start sooner and sooner. On the radio last week they were talking about Amazon Prime Day (and everyone who has jumped on the bandwagon because of it) being the new Black Friday. As if the original wasn’t bad enough. And don’t get me started on Christmas in July, it gives me rage monkeys. But I couldn’t help myself this year. 2020 has been a bit of a bumpy road and I needed a little early October joy in my life.

I wasn’t going to do it. I halfheartedly tried to fight it, but I think I bought my first October item either in late July or early August from a vintage shop. Once that premature holiday line had been crossed I galloped the rest of the way with gusto. There was no need to hold back now….and I didn’t ;)

I got my first Pumpkin Spice Latte in August the day it came out, and realized that I am kinda over it. I found an alternative last year that became my new favorite and after tasting the PSL this year I don’t see myself changing. The PSL seems cloyingly sweet in comparison and not as enjoyable as it once did. Sigh, something else 2020 ruined for me. From there it was a slippery October filled slope. I bought some discount Halloween crafts for my residents and that opened the door to buying more stuff for me. Then it was pumpkin pop tarts (which I swore I would NEVER buy again, but well….) Next came Zombie skittles and what goes best with zombie skittles, why  a neon green zombie hand pen with a feather boa around it of course. I mean, how could I not? I found my monster cereals at the start of September and may have done a little shuffle dance of joy right at the end of the aisle while hugging them.

The avalanche of new things continued even though I already have 18 boxes of decor. At final tally it was a whole folding table full of new stuff, and then came the dueling banjo skeletons that I just HAD to have. I named them Billy Bob and Earl. I also bought a spooky mansion October advent calendar but I’m pretty sure it was a scam and I am never going to see it. Maybe it will be a Valentine’s surprise?

Once I had my banjo playin’ fellas and a countdown calendar in route, I decided, why wait till October, I will start decorating now. I did get the boxes down in early September but unforeseen circumstances like smoke, family, and exhaustion kept me from decorating until the end of the month, but that didn’t hinder my purchasing power. I bought a Sleepy Hollow Bed and Breakfast sign from the coffee shop yesterday and am considering going back for another that is all about zombies. Also in the shopping cart was a new costume because the one I bought earlier in the year wasn’t cutting it anymore and that paved the way down the holiday rabbit hole that lead me to a pair of Scandinavian vampire trolls. I know, I know, I have a problem. The first step is admitting it. But I don’t want a cure. I’ll have you know I saw a Pegasus costume for bunnies and I neither bought a bunny nor the costume, so there is some hope for me yet…….but I really thought about it for a few minutes. 

What October purchases have you made thus far? Did I actually leave anything else for others to buy?

Day 8: October Disease

I have this affliction. It only seems to present itself at certain times of the year. I can be walking along, minding my own business, when suddenly, it hits. I am powerless to stop it. I am forced to do its bidding no matter how I feel. What is this malady, you ask? Is it contagious? Will it soon overrun the population like a zombie plague? Never fear gentle readers, I think this sickness is confined only to my person. It is.........no, it is to gruesome to say. But I must. I admit..........I am..............a fall magazine addict. Whew, there, I said it.

It is no joke. It doesn't matter if I hate the publication on principle, if it has the words, fall, autumn, Halloween or October on the cover page, I feel strangely compelled to buy it. Maybe I was hypnotized by a roving October magician. Perhaps I drank one too many pumpkin spice lattes and all the orange flavoring did something to my brain. Whatever the cause, holiday magazines seem to multiply like vampire bunnies around my house in the month of October. Really, there is nothing new under the sun when it comes to fall ideas, but I must buy the product anyway.

By now I must have hundreds of dozens of articles on how to make witch fingers out of breadsticks, how to turn cheesecloth into ghosts or what areas of the US are the best for leaf peeping. The new fall colors are always the same, parents always supply information on how to turn your kid into a cute scarecrow for cheap. But I don't care. I LOVE each and every repeated cheesy idea. And speaking of cheese, did  you know that mini Rondelle cheeses can be carved like pumpkins?  I have about 7 or 8 articles on it if you want more information.

Maybe one day, I will be in one of those magazines contributing some cheesy autumnal craft idea or wacky Halloween recipe. Either way, I know I will be buying multiple copies. I won't be able to help myself.