By this time each year, holiday decorating is already in full swing around here. Even before Halloween, large Christmas ornaments are placed in medians near the convention hotel that hosts the whatever Disney character is popular at the moment, something-or-other on ice. Store window displays on Main Street showcase the dead with signs that read Happy Halloween, pilgrims proclaiming Happy Thanksgiving and Santa’s helpers making merry for Christmas with all the trappings trimmings. Why not just throw in some candy hearts and get a head start on Valentine’s Day?
Hey! Add some green beer and make it a real party!
We have more over-developed empty space than a Mr. Universe convention and still more bull dozing going on all around us to make way for yet another Ross Dress for Less/World Market/Massage Envy/Payday Loan complex. The mall near where I live sits all but vacant during the week. Of course, it is absolutely packed on tax-free weekend, and once holiday shopping kicks into high gear there will be more hang tags ripped off merchandise from Forever 21, more ticket stubs and BiG Thirsty cups from the AMC Theater, more Whataburger bags, and more flyers with coupons for Lego Land blowing down the hill, landing in the hedges along my street. Why we need more retail space to sell the same crap as stores less than 10 miles away in any direction is beyond me.
Whatever the reason for the current surge of “development” it is increasing a problem that is being overlooked by everyone; everyone except me that is. RATS. We already had rat issues in the area. Bait boxes are located all around the mall, and still, rats scurry right passed the tormented shrubbery between the building and parking lot in broad daylight. Someone forgot to contract a pied piper to take care of all the rats that live in harmony with the snakes an armadillos in the wooded areas now being dozed and scraped to make way for new luxury shopping ‘designed with you in mind.’
I can only surmise the reason the snakes aren’t taking care of the rat problem is because the snakes around here are fat and happy. There is no creature more vile than a rat. They spread fleas and disease. They use junk mail to create a fluffier place to have their rat sex and as the weather cools, the rat population will no doubt increase.
I can only hope they will take up residence in the new luxury retail space before spring arrives.
Maybe it’s because we hardly have time to enjoy one holiday before it’s time to merchandise for the next or maybe it’s because snakes and rats make strange bedfellows around here, but does getting into the holiday spirit seem to take more effort each year or is it just me?
Honie Briggs 
It’s always interesting to notice when the Christmas decorations come out. Used to be after Thanksgiving. Then it was right after Halloween. This year I spotted some before Halloween.
It’s all about making money these days, and I despise commercialism, so I boycott the holidays completely. Just keep my head down and get through it. It’s all over pretty quickly come December 27th.
Rats rank up there with mosquitoes and cockroaches on my list of Creatures The Planet Could Really Do Without, Thank You Very Much.
Agreed! 🙂 Yuck, cockroaches – I guess I should be glad the hot weather is over or they’d be invading us too. Acres of wooded area is being ripped to make room for more shops selling all that pink plastic crap to promote cancer awareness. Good grief, like every body and their sister isn’t FULLY AWARE of cancer!
LOL! Indeed. 🙂
I had to go to a craft store today since I am once again helping with my daughter’s class Halloween party. And as I progressed from one aisle to the next, it was like being in a time machine: Halloween on clearance, Thanksgiving on sale, and rows of Christmas junk. I have a youngster, so I can’t be overtaken by grinchdom, but wow, I really hate holidays in the retail world. Thanks for sparking that little rant!
You’re welcome. That’s me the little rant sparker! 🙂
I’ve always loved filling our home with warmth, messing up the kitchen with the kids. It makes me sad to see the cheap tackiness. You’re right though, being overtaken by grinchdom is a no go. I just avoid going into stores as much as I can.
I’ve been a little slow to indulge the holiday spirit myself. As I type this, several boxes of outdoor Halloween decorations are sitting ten feet away from me, waiting for my attention when I’m not drained by work, discouraged by weather, typing on the Internet, washing my hair, shuffling papers on my desk, refreshing Words with Friends…
Yeah, that holiday spirit will hit me any minute now.
I know exactly what you mean about washing your hair. That pretty much wipes me out for doing anything else. 🙂
I’m with you here – too much, too fast, too early. In want to enjoy each holiday as it comes and now I’m already feeling pressure to be done with Christmas shopping. I never thought of the rat issue – dang – that’s creeping me out!
Yeah, creeping me out too. I listen every night for the traps to snap and each morning my husband yells, “CLEAR” if they’re empty. A lady I know had snakes coming into her house. They called in the professionals who put glue traps under their bed. Now she does a leap maneuver from the chair to the bed each night. Creepy!
I use glue traps for spiders – mostly to know what kind are most prevalent. I have terriers to take care of the field mice and the snakes:) I am pretty tough but the sound of a trap gets to me. I don’t want any snakes in my house, not even the “good” ones.
I can deal with spiders and snakes, they don’t scare me at all, but rats? no way! rats are the worst. no good rat but a dead rat! I need a scrappy cat. Not a finicky one that has to have its pillow fluffed. A good barn cat that knows how to properly “handle” a rat situation. 😉
That’s the perfect kind of cat IMO – BTW I have an aging terrier who kills snakes and rats but must have her pillow fluffed – I rent her out – cheap:)
LOL. I’ll give that some thought. I bet she’d want to fly first class!
Of course – with bonbons