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Here we are in mid-September with 80-degree weather on one day and a brisk 49-degree temperature to kick off the next. That seems like an awful lot of expansion and contraction in my knee and elbow joints as I am still trying to clean up the spring flower bed. How is one supposed to keep up with the seasonality changes this time of year? In another few weeks my air conditioner and furnace will begin an epic battle for my wife’s love and affection. Electricity vs. natural gas has the potential to be a somewhat tense discussion in my household. And, adding to my malfunctioning autumnal biorhythm (not quite as cool sounding as Human Striatal Presynaptic Dopamine Synthesis), the earlier and earlier holiday shopping adds to my bewilderment.

Yes, the weather is not the only changeabout on my mind during this transitional time of year, I believe the holidays have shifted and bounced me into a retail frenzy of buying confusion over the past several years. Remember the good ole days of Halloween in October? Since mid-August, many retailers have devoted a lot of floor space to this robustly, expanded holiday buying season. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), the average household will spend $102 on Halloween specific items including costumes, holiday foods and decorations.  Considering 55% of the households planning to celebrate this holiday do not have children, the retail numbers truly show Halloween’s popularity with a staggering $10.2 billion being spent in 2021. I still remember the $4 pumpkin and the $0.99 Dracula teeth as a child. So, when does Thanksgiving shopping begin? Is that before or after Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa?  Well, in any event, ‘tis always the season of spending. Support our local businesses regardless of the celebration and hurry, because holidays change as quickly as the weather.