I have neither the space nor funds to be buying pumpkins yet. I am trying to take my own advice and not FOMO-buy. I have this creeping anxiety that I have to buy pumpkins right now to take part in The Great Pumpkin Project, or because if I don't buy some now, all the good ones will be gone by Halloween (a ridiculous notion).
I put a lot of pressure on myself to maximize my Halloween experiences every year. I get disappointed when I have a "light" season. I've built up this reputation in my head and amongst my friends, family, and peers that I am the "Halloween guy". If I see anyone else doing "more" Halloween-y stuff than me, I get a bad case of Imposter Syndrome.
It's unfortunate that such a beautiful sight as the one above is filling me with anxiety about running out of time for my yard haunt, or not doing "enough" for the Halloween season. It should be filling me with excitement! I really am trying to find a balance between filling my days with Halloween plans and riding the natural ebb and flow of the season.
I know the season feels like it goes by faster every year, but it doesn't. That's just what big box stores want you to think (but that's a topic for another post). Trust me, don't worry like I do.
Next time I go to the store, I'm gonna give one of these pumpkins a hearty *pat pat*. That usually puts a smile on my face.
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ReplyDeleteOne of our grocery stores had a bin of pumpkins out a week ago while it was in the upper 80's and low 90's. It's way too soon to be purchasing pumpkins for carving into jack-o-lanterns. We typically wait until the 1st or 2nd week of October to try to select healthy looking pumpkins for the task. But even then we still can lose a few to rot before Halloween arrives. We do weekly "pumpkin inspections" leading up to the big night. It's precisely like you said regarding the marketing/sales strategies of the big box stores. We've already seen stores moving and consolidating the Halloween merchandise to make room for the the soon to be put out Christmas décor. Granted, stores like Michael's and JoAnn's are crafting centric, and if you're going to be making stuff from scratch for Christmas, well you probably need to get started soon.
DeleteAlso on the topic of Halloween haunting anxiety, we know exactly what you mean. You start to question your design choices for that year's particular haunt. "Did we do enough for this year's haunt theme?" "Are we up to our own prior standards this year?" Sometimes on the Halloween & Haunt forums we've gotten comments regarding our haunt saying "What a great looking small haunt." Then that can lead to "haunt size envy" where once again we question whether or not we did enough for the haunt that year. But we have a tricky shaped house and a yard that's sloped on a street that goes up a steep hill. We have to work with the "canvas" we have here and after a few years of trial and error at this house we think we've gotten it down for what works and doesn't work here.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, forgot to mention Halloween haunt "scope creep" as well. Every year we tend to go over the intended budget by adding things to the haunt or getting a last minute idea, mostly due to those other anxieties. The scopes they a start a creeping at this time of year for us. And the "FOMO" thing. We have gotten burned by putting off purchasing something we've seen available one Halloween season that would be great for a future haunt theme we had in mind, but held off thinking the item would be available the next year only to find it's discontinued. It's a balancing act!
ReplyDeleteEve, I read your comments right after you posted them, but am just now free enough to respond. Thank you so much for your encouragement and solidarity here. It's incredibly reassuring to know I'm not alone in feeling this way. I greatly appreciate you sharing your thoughts.
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