Has Halloween been Hi-Jacked?

Okay...so yesterday was my birthday and this weekend was spent in meetings and relaxing, so I didn't get any blogging done. But I am happy to report that my Toad from Hell has been evicted from the premises, whereby he quickly took up residence in our pool for awhile before 'easing on down the road'! However, my resolution still stands in tact, and I shall not be using the back bathroom ever again. Moving on....

There is something that is irking me and I can't help but wonder if anyone else is noticing this in their neck of the woods. But it is now my belief that someone has Hijacked Halloween this year. Like I said, my birthday was yesterday August 2. (These super cool Halloween graphics were sent by my fabulous friends and I thought they were worthy of sharing.) So... if we could rewind the clocks back to this same time last year, we would be seeing a completely different scenario from this year. By that I mean, in the last several years, the very first of the Halloween merchandise has begun to hit the stores 1-2 weeks prior to my birthday.

First and always first, is of course Michael's. It is a 'craft' store, so it only makes sense that they need to get their seasonal stuff in much earlier, so that crafters have the opportunity to craft things prior to their holiday shows in the Fall. And so Michael's usually always has their Autumn things out, just as they have had out this year. But they also usually have at least 2 full rows of Halloween goods, namely their little collectible haunted house thingies that make a bunch of wailing and screaming noises. But NOT this year! Fall yes, Halloween....not so much. 2 end caps of assorted glittery skull stuff was all that was out at all of our area Michael's stores. What's up with that? Why the delay?

Now my favorite store of all for Halloween items is a store called HomeGoods. We have about 4+ of them around us so the pickings are always great. And my husband goes out to the HomeGoods stores the week before my birthday and scopes out the first offerings, picking me up a thing or two for my birthday. Then on the weekend of my birthday, I get to be driven around to all the HomeGoods, Michael's and Joanne's stores to spend my birthday money and bask in all the deliciousness of the upcoming Halloween season. But NOT this year!!!! No, he went to each and every HomeGoods several times in the last 2 weeks and there was STILL no Halloween. He finally got frustrated and asked someone what was up. And they said that they in fact do usually have their Halloween merchandise out before now, but for some reason this year it is late. And it is also late at Michael's and Joanne's.

So I believe there is a conspiracy going on. A Hi-jacking of Halloween this year. I don't know who the perpetrator might be however....but I think Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny are prime suspects. Maybe even the economy or a trucker shortage that I've been hearing about. But all I know and care about is the fact that whoever is responsible for this atrocity should have to pay for ruining my well laid birthday plans! I even went back to my blog during these dates last year and found that sure enough...Halloween is later in coming this year. In fact, I think there were even a few magazines already out by the end of July last year and at my last check, which was Sunday....there were still NO Halloween mags out yet here. (Proof...Last year, Halloween Super Store began opening by July 10 and "Celebrate Fall" magazine was out by July 21st.)

So I am heading out again today....and by golly I better find some signs of Halloween or I'm staging a public protest in the town square! So what about the rest of you? Anything more than a few Halloween end caps at your Michael's or is this just an East Coast Hallo-shortage?