So when did Hallowe’en decorations evolve from a jack-o-lantern on the porch with maybe a skeleton for company to black and orange flashing lights everywhere, lawn goblins, and a variety of other ghostly and ghastly creatures adorning every bush and tree? Don’t even get me started on the fake spider webs. Like there aren’t already enough spider webs around. These days our neighborhood is like a three-ring circus from early October until the new year rolls around.

The Hallmark holiday has become a festival of lights. Some people never take them down. They are up and in place, and only need to be turned on during the correct month. Orange for October and red for December. Our seasonal festivities are carefully color-coded.

Neighbors compete with each other to see who can present the most elaborate display. This is more typical for the winter holidays, but Hallowe’en is really gearing up. What’s next? Will people paint their houses red, white, and blue for Independence Day?

Not so long ago when I was a kid, decorations didn’t go up until a week or two before a holiday. Stores didn’t sell the stuff two months ahead of time. But the sooner you put things on a store shelf, the more people will buy, right?

Lately there appears to be quite a bit of overlap. The remnants of spooky stuff haven’t been cleared off the shelves before the Christmas stuff is making an appearance. All this celebrating should be stimulating the economy. I think I need some candy corn.