Halloween is one of my favourite times of the year. At work, I've become known for my obsession with the spooky season (it helps having an October birthday). Honestly, if I had to choose between pumpkin decor and a Christmas tree, the pumpkin would win every time.
However, despite my love of all things pumpkin spice, this year I've been frustrated by how early it is appearing on the high street. It is only July, but to look online, you'd think we were already deep into September from all the Halloween ideas and homeware collections.
Just this morning, I found Primark has already started dropping its Halloween collection, Fabulousa has launched a pumpkin fragrance range at B&M, and Hobbycraft's popular plush pumpkins have returned to stores earlier than ever this year.
Working for a homes and interiors website, I'm no stranger to holiday seasons coming early, looking at Christmas decorations and tasting mince pies in July is the norm for me. However, what I loved about Halloween as an underrated holiday is that the build-up fell neatly in September.
But spooky season is no longer underrated; the American trend for celebrating it in a big way has caught on in the UK. Google Trends has seen a breakout in people searching for 'Halloween bedding', 'Halloween rugs' and even 'Halloween towels' in July. Hobbycraft also reported that they've seen website searches for 'pumpkins' up 84% this month.
I hold Netflix's release of the second series of Wednesday in August partly responsible for the early surge.
But still, even as a spooky season super fan, I'm not planning to start pulling my pumpkins out of storage until the start of September. That is the earliest I want to see a pumpkin or autumnal wreath out anywhere. I use the holiday as an antidote to the days getting colder and nights longer. I don't want to wish my summer away.
However, according to my team, I'm pulling the trigger on Halloween decorating too early by kicking things off in September.
'I wouldn't decorate for Halloween any sooner than the beginning of October. Most years, September is still warm with summer temperatures. So why not take advantage and enjoy the warmth and summery vibes rather than start ushering autumnal Halloween decor in way too early?!' says Sara Hesikova, Ideal Home's Room Decor Content Editor.
She has a point, but I stand by my view that September is the gateway to autumn and the earliest acceptable time to start in on the Halloween decorations. What do you think?
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