WTF 2017? The Holiday Edition

This year has been a wild one. When we thought last year was the crazy one. 2016 was like that one friend that you think is a total nut, the one you wonder about, and then you meet his older brother, 2017.

This year has been full of What the total f*cks? for me and others. Political, social, and professional. But today, I'm going to focus on holidays. Here it is, Thanksgiving. Turkeys roasting, sweet potatoes sweetening, stuffing getting stuffed. But what the hell happened to Halloween?

I'll admit that the complaint that the holidays are getting earlier, while true, is starting to get old. But yes, this past September I walked into a well-known Chicago paper store and promptly exited after being bombarded with Christmas cheer. I just...can't. Let me breathe the not-quite-at-this-point-in-early-September fall air. Let me pretend for a moment to have a little peace before the rush of lights, colors, and songs. Let me watch the leaves change.

This year has been especially rushed. So much so, that I completely missed Halloween. We scraped together some candy, purged the cabinets of Hershey Kisses and individually wrapped amaretti cookies, and even called in reinforcements, to get through Oct 31 in our crazy 100+ trick-or-treater neighborhood. With a two-hour window, the kids were rapping at the window when the lights went out a half hour early. The light is off kids, is no tradition sacred?

But my stuff was in boxes, I was more focused on selling off my belongings, and my house was in chaos. So, there were no decorations, no costumes, and no Halloween festivities to speak of.

So, I'll have my turkey today with friends. I'll eat a roll or two. I'll definitely have some pie. But, while everyone else is putting up their Christmas lights, I'll be watching spooky movies, eating pizza, and having my annual Halloween booze pairing. Feel free to knock on my door, you might get some candy.