The Popcorn Stand: Already time to deal with leftover Halloween candy

I was looking through our Associated Press wire service that provides us stories from various sources and I came across this headline: “17 things to do with our leftover Halloween candy.”

Full disclosure, I can’t stand candy corn, never understood the purpose of it, and have no idea why it comes back every Hallowthanksmas season.

Yes, the Hallowthanksmas season has arrived as the headline “17 things to do with our leftover Halloween candy” tells us. That article was dated September 2.

We have basically combined Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas into one long, two-month holiday, thus Hallowthankmas. And Black Friday now starts about a week before the actually Black Friday.

I’ve written before about how as a young reporter for the Porterville Recorder in 1993 I was sent out to do a story on Black Friday. Back then I didn’t go out to the stores until Friday afternoon and there was hardly anyone in the stores.

Back then the gist of the story was why the few people who did shop on the Friday after Thanksgiving decided to do so after gorging themselves the day before.

I’ve also written about how I watched the entire 1973 USC-UCLA football game played the Saturday after Thanksgiving complete with commercials on Youtube. During the whole broadcast there was one commercial that made reference to Christmas shopping.

Of course back then even Charles Schultz knew what was to come. There’s the scene from the Peanuts Easter special in which the gang goes Easter Shopping only to find a big banner in the store that says “Only 246 days until Christmas.”

I also came across this headline as I was looking through the Associated Press wire service: “Let’s eat: Jack-o-peppers perfect for Halloween noshing.” This story was also dated September 2.

And these stories are actually late when it comes to the Hallowthanksmas season. The Hallowthanksmas season basically begins in mid-August, actually July.

Although this year I didn’t seen any of those artificial tree commercials talking about the tradition of Christmas while it was a 110 degrees outside.

But I do remember a couple of years ago – and I’ll remember this date for the rest of my life — on August 11 I walked into the store and there was the Halloween candy display right there in the middle of the store.

And of course it’s already been time for pumpkin spice latte — something else I’ve never had — for weeks now.

I’ve also written my all-time favorite celebration of the holidays came from this one person who tweeted how they celebrated the four holidays — Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter all at once by searching for Easter eggs under the Christmas tree in their Halloween costumes on Thanksgiving.

I also have to bring attention to something that happens in my old stomping grounds in Northern Nevada every few years. It just so happens Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, October 31.

The official holiday for Nevada Day to celebrate Nevada becoming a state is Friday, October 30 this year.

But Nevada Day is always celebrated on a Saturday, so this year it will be celebrated on October 31. But trick or treaters are discouraged to go out when Nevada Day is celebrated because of all the people who are out partying.

So this year in Nevada, Halloween will be celebrated on Nevada Day and Nevada Day will be celebrated on Halloween.

Anyway here’s wishing everyone a Happy Hallowthanksmas. I hope I’m not too late.