Things to hate about fall.

Besides the weather getting colder, the days getting shorter there are other things to make one despise this time of year. Things which make the summer and the spring so much nicer by comparison.

I’m not a big one for Halloween or anything from after that until after New Years - let’s take that a step further and go all the way out to Saint Patrick’s Day. As a matter of fact, I do believe if I have my way in the coming years I will definitely find a way to become a Snowbird. If Key West hadn’t gotten so over built, it would be the destination of choice but, there are a lot of other keys which are lesser known and probably just as idyllic. I’ve also got a friend down on the Gulf Coast so maybe I might impose upon him to at least find an avenue of entry in the warmer surroundings.

So, in addition to the aforementioned reasons, the other thing to loathe about this time of year is the fact in the ’burbs you have many attention starved adults.

Attention starved adults?

Oh, you mean you don’t know what I’m talking about?

Well, I’m specifically referring to those people who use this slate of holiday at the year’s tail end as an excuse to adorn their lot with the most gaudy of displays, think things more at home in a used car lot. Large balloons of various characters... a pumpkin for Halloween, a turkey for Thanksgiving, some elves and a sleigh for the Yuletide season.

Balloons!

A private little Macy’s day parade in their front yard, look at me, look at me, look at me!

Look, I know I’m not given over to being sweetness and light over these things but, I still can appreciate some tasteful decoration. It’s just you’ve got a whole slew of people who don’t know when to stop. Thankfully, the neighbors on either side of me aren’t given over to such an indulgence of excess but, I have to admit to feeling a bit sorry for the people who have the misfortune of having one of these loons as a next door neighbor.

When your neighbor puts out all manner of decoration for Halloween, creating their very own haunted hayride, complete with a soundtrack full of moans and groans... or come Christmas when the guy next door festoons every square inch of the house and the front yard with each and every light and decoration that can be found and pumps Yuletide music out speakers in the yard from sundown to midnight what to do?

I mean, I see this regularly and I have to wonder what is going on?

Funny thing, there was one guy in town who would always go overboard on this stuff. It was a house I would pass regularly on the way to the local supermarket. There was a time there when he and his immediate neighbors were engaged in what could best be described as an arms race only with decorations taking the place of nukes. At some point, his neighbors just gave up!

This year Halloween came and surprisingly there were no decorations out in front of his house. No mini graveyard, no trees full of cobwebs and goblins, no orange light show, no ghostly moans... just a very plain, quiet for sale sign with the number of a local realtor. Makes sense, I mean potential buyers more than likely would be put off by all the decoration and the seller is smart enough to know that.

But... if you’re smart enough to know how put off by the display potential buyers will be, why not have the same consideration for your neighbors? You know, the people who have suffered through living next door to you for the last few years? I imagine they were just happy when the for sale sign showed up.