I feel conflicted. On the one hand, the gradual creep of the beginning of “fall” means that we get Pumpkin Spice Lattes before Labor Day, and…well, that’s pretty much the only advantage I can think of, but I like lattes. Stores have to fill shelves with something now that back-to-school season is over in most of the country, but it’s still August. That is far too early to be thinking about Thanksgiving decorations.

Yet here we are. Well, here reader Tim is. While shopping at the discount store Ross, he noticed a shelf full of turkeys and pumpkins. The pumpkins, we can excuse: it is almost actual fall, and Halloween is two months off. Is Thanksgiving really such a decoration-intensive holiday that we need to start planning centerpieces three months in advance?

No… I don’t really want to know the answer to that question.

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