One of the beautiful things about living in the mid-Atlantic is that we really do have four distinct seasons, each of which is complete with the stereotypical trappings of winter, summer, spring, and fall.

This week I’ve noticed another phenomenon: the changing of the “season” by holiday, sort of an amorphous blend of decorations upon lawns and edifices. Some folks, God bless ’em, still have their Halloween decorations up. (Or maybe some of those cobwebs are natural.) There are those who go with generic “fall” decorations, though when it snows or, like yesterday, it’s 70 degrees, they seem a bit out of place. Some of my more ambitious neighbors squeeze in authentic Thanksgiving decorations, usually in the form of a giant blow-up turkey. (My son enjoys spotting these.) And then there are those who take the “store” approach, and put out their Christmas decorations while the Halloween candy is still fresh.

Hey… ’tis the season!