And by the way ...

I am NOT a Halloween girl. This 'holiday' gives me the major willies. I've never been one to respond to 'the dark', creepy crawlies, monsters, slasher movies, graves, skulls, all that scary craziness. And what I REALLY don't understand is this thing, over the last few years, of creating Halloween Trees, like Christmas trees. WHAT IS THAT?!!!! I did some research and can't find any kind of pagan source for that practice. I think it's just one more way for stores to make money. Now we have excuses for big retail SCARS on the months of October, November and December. Even when I was a kid, I didn't dress dark, I was always Juliet or nothing at all. I liked wandering around the neighborhoods with my brother Bobby back in Maryland, the crisp autumn nights, the cool air, the leaves under our feet crunching and crackling, but I did not then, and still do not, like to be spooked! And I get so irritated because all the magazines, of every genre, base their magazines every month on whatever holiday is largest -- I think it sucks, I want to see autumn art, or ANY art, not just Halloween art or Halloween rooms/decor, Halloween recipes. Phooey! These publishers/editors need to challenge themselves beyond that -- to my mind, it's just another feed into the media/commercial frenzy. Lazy journalism, hopping on the trend train -- but I'm SURE it sells their issues. Certainly I realize I'm in the WAY WAY WAY minority because I don't want to see holiday crap every year in the specified and delegated and relegated month. Martha Stewart would take a big-ass ruler to MY palms, she would!

Hmm. Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.