It is the first week of October and I am shopping at my local department store looking for some Halloween items. I ask a clerk for a specific decoration and he tells me that it is next to the Christmas tree display in the far corner. Christmas trees? Christmas trees in October?

Wait a second. What ever happened to being in the moment? It used to be that stores were decorated for one holiday at a time. Thanksgiving decorations were put up after Halloween was over. Christmas-related items showed up in shops beginning the Friday after Thanksgiving. We were able to experience these specific holidays one at a time and it got us all into the spirit of things.

Now I do realize that this “piling-up” of holidays is in order for businesses to increase sales and make more money. It makes sense on a commercial level. On a personal level, however, it is too much. I would, for example, like to partake in the sights and smells associated with Thanksgiving without hearing a stuffed Santa laughing two aisles over. I don’t think that this is a lot to ask. And if I could at least toast in the new year without seeing Valentine’s Day candy boxes on display, that would be wonderful!

E-mail Cyn LoPinto at editor@homefrontmagazine.com.