By LEE SCOTT

Yes, it is that time of year! Over the course of 56 days, we have three major holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas; and for me, they are all running into each other.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

(My Jewish friends will forgive me for not including their eight days of Hanukkah in December.)<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

This is all about my HallowThankMas.

Here is the problem. Currently, there is a collection of Halloween decorations in the living room. There are the ceramic pumpkins, the orange candles, and a stuffed witch and stuffed scarecrow. There is also an orange pumpkin on the front steps.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

Then there is the Thanksgiving runner on the dining room table with two ceramic turkeys. The decorations were all in the same container, so I just took them out.

When my spouse walked into the house and smelled the bayberry candle burning in the kitchen, he was very confused.

“Why is the Christmas candle burning?”

Truthfully, I had spotted the candle in the pantry, and it was almost completely gone. I just wanted to get rid of it and reuse the glass container. But that is when the three holidays officially collided in my house.

“Welcome to HallowThankMas!” I said.

But it’s not just at the Scott home that you will find this phenomenon. Go into any store now and you will see what I mean.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

The grocery store has a bin with Halloween candy on sale including my favorite candy corn. Then there is a sign up for “order your fresh Thanksgiving turkey now,” and there are Christmas decorations for sale in the aisle that normally has beach toys.

Another store where you will see this merger is the local hobby store. There are whole aisles dedicated to Thanksgiving and Christmas right now with the Halloween decorations discounted heavily.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

I do understand that people, who are making gifts for Christmas bazaars, need to buy items early, but when I still have my Halloween decorations hanging on my front porch, it unnerves me. And now there is a vacant lot on Sea Island Parkway getting set up to sell Christmas trees.

“Wait!” I still need to pull down the skeleton lights and put up some pilgrim lights for Thanksgiving.

Then there are only 27 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year to decorate the house.

My spouse is totally unsympathetic with my HallowThankMas dilemma. He believes that we have spent years decorating our house(s) for children and grandchildren and it is time to stop.

“How about some generic white candles for each of the holidays?” He asked.

Then I reminded him of the Christmas tree lights he puts on our dock every year and the Santa and Reindeer he likes to put in the yard.

“Never mind,” he says. “Happy HallowThankMas to all, and to all a good night!”.

<i>Lee Scott, a writer and recent retiree, shares her everyday observations about life after career. A former commercial banker responsible for helping her clients to reach their business objectives, Scott now translates those analytical skills to her writings. She lives on St. Helena Island and enjoys<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span></i>