Can New Yorkers Start Celebrating Spooky Season in July?

Happy 4th of July Week! When the 4th of July is in the middle of the week like this year, it's easy to celebrate all week long! Because it sits between two weekends, folks all across New York and the country are celebrating from Friday, June 28th through Sunday, July 7th. It's a good break from the mundane, but that timeline is so minuscule compared to other holiday seasons.

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The Christmas Season is such a beautiful way to wrap up the year. I love the holiday lights, the joyous spirit, the music and everything that comes with it. There has been controversy in recent years; however, saying that the Christmas Season starts earlier and earlier. Many radio stations switch to Christmas music by November 1st, and all the stores start swapping out the fall merchandise for holiday/winter-themed merchandise right after Halloween. As of now, it's a pretty solid 2 months of the Christmas Season.

But do you recall the longest holiday season of all? No, I'm not talking about the Christmas Season, I'm talking about Spooky Season. You thought November and December were bad with holly being shoved down your throat? Try 4 months of Spooky Scary Skeletons Sending Shivers Down Your Spine! Many diehard fans of Spooky Season are starting to celebrate as early as this week, and there is actually some good reason why.

Spooky Season Begins On July 5th

First of all, what is Spooky Season? Spooky Season is that time of year where people start settling into fall activities. People start decorating for Halloween and look into what costumes to get. This is the time to enjoy the leaves changing colors, to feel all cozy as the weather gets a little cooler, and to snuggle up watching a Halloween-themed scary movie. It's the time of the year where pumpkin and apple spice rule over society.

Many diehard fans of Spooky Season say that the festivities begin as soon as the 4th of July is over. Now, I know what some of you are thinking, "It's still summer time! Don't rush the summer!" And I agree with you, I love the summer! It's my favorite season. I love the beach, the barbecues, the swimming, and the perfect summer nights. That being said, there is a strong push for Spooky Season to begin as early as this Friday, July 5th, and we have capitalism to blame.

Capitalism Killed the Summer, and We Are Haunted By Spooky Season

Fall doesn't technically begin until September 22nd, but stores say it starts now! One reason why people say Spooky Season starts on July 5th is because the stores tell us its so. Independence Day is the last commercialized holiday on store shelves before the transition to fall harvest and Halloween merchandise. Stores start to pack away all the Independence Day gear, and start rolling out the fall decor. Sure, you can still find some summery stuff, but you can't tell me that when you walk into a TJ Max, a Homegood's, a Marshall's, a Target, a Home Depot, a Michael's, a JoAnn Fabric's, or even a Dollar Store you won't be seeing tons of fall merchandise in July!

Stores always like to get ahead of the seasons so they start promoting fall merchandise in the summer, signaling to some that it is time to start celebrating Spooky Season. Have fun wearing your fall flannels while it is still 95 degrees out.

Not just the main department stores signal that it's time for all the ghosts and ghouls to come out. The king of them all starts popping up everywhere: Spirit Halloween. I'm already seeing signs on empty buildings saying that Spirit Halloween is coming. The Spirit Halloween Flagship Store is considered the main store of Spirit Halloween, located at 6725 E Black Horse Pike #26, Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey (08234). The flagship store will be open by August 1st, with many other locations opening on the same day or soon after.

So, don't be surprised if you start seeing Jack-o-Lanterns and over-sized skeletons on your neighbors' lawns this summer because according to capitalism, Halloween Season is now upon us! Honestly, those who want to celebrate it now should enjoy. Me, personally, I'll wait until September or so, and soak up as much of the sun as possible this summer. But for anyone getting into the Halloween spirit early, go for it! And even if you're not into it, don't ruin somebody else's fun!