Boo!

The Halloween decorations are coming out.

My neighbor (Hi, Deb!) put up a bunch of ghost-y things today. Soon there will be Halloween lights up, skeletons sticking out of the gardens, and pumpkins on every doorstep. Other people do the full sheafs (sheaves?) of wheat, scarecrows, witches crashing into trees thing. One neighbor does a full-on haunted house in his garage. We haven't been brave enough to go in (there is smoke coming off of his lawn on Halloween and my kids refuse to even walk directly past the house, much less enter the attraction).

Here is my question. When did this all start?

When did Halloween become a decorating holiday to rival Christmas? When I was a kid (back in the day...) we carved pumpkins and called it a day. I don't even know that there were other options available. Perhaps that spider-web stuff that you can stretch across the bushes...but that was it.

About 8 years ago, I put pumpkin lights up around my front door and I felt like quite the overachiever. Now I am completely dusted...often forgetting to even carve the pumpkins (I don't like to do it too soon since they get all mushy and gross, and then I forget completely).

I am torn between my competitive side, my "good-excuse-to-put-cute-stuff-up" side, and my "but-it's-only-Halloween" side...triangulated...in a holding pattern...paralyzed...

I am guessing the decorating urge will win out, especially once the kids realize we are under-adorned. I give it a week.