An Early Christmas Shopping Alert

I prefer to celebrate my holidays one at a time. So since we're still quite a ways from Halloween, much less Thanksgiving, I really don't want to see Christmas decorations and gift ideas yet.

But some retailers (including Michael's Arts & Crafts, Cracker Barrel and Target) are putting the displays up and selling the holiday merchandise - and some explain they only do it because their customers are asking for the stuff!

So I guess it's not too early for a quick reminder about holiday gift-giving. I'm not trying to be a killjoy; I've often gotten great pleasure from buying the perfect gift for someone important in my life. But I also see too many gifts that just become clutter - so shop and give with care.

I'll have more to say on this as we get closer to the holidays. For now, I want to enjoy my beautiful autumn days.