For anyone who’s ever wondered, there is a big difference between the stuff in the milk cartons and honest-to-goodness, Salmonella-risking homemade eggnog.
I don’t care any more, I have to say it!
I HATE PUMPKIN!
I HATE PUMPKIN SPICE!
Leave me alone for the next two months, until peppermint everything arrives.
I love cinnamon and clove in my coffee all year long, what always confuses me is why they insist on calling it ‘pumpkin spice’ rather than the more accurate ‘pumpkin pie spices.’
Trivia for you: “Pumpkin spice _____” stuff cafes sell, includes exactly zero pumpkin-based ingredients. It’s just a mixture of spices used to make pumpkin pie. We even use the same mix of spices for other recipes, but “pork spice latte” just doesn’t seem as seasonal.
When I was a kid, Christmas decorations started going up in the big department stores like Macy’s and Gimbels and Lord and Taylor’s some time before Thanksgiving. My mother and I would always grumble, “Too soon! Too soon!” Now it’s not uncommon to see Hallowe’en stuff get set up in early September, and the Christmas trees arriving Mid-October. Poor Thanksgiving just gets lost in the mad crush.
Working for a large retailer, one begins to see the justification at the corporate level – almost 50% of annual sales take place during what they call “peak” season – the time between 20 September and 24 December. That’s a very small window to make your year’s profitability, and companies will do all they can to promote holiday spending. If people don’t buy at Christmas, stores simply don’t survive. So while Monica’s comment is valid, stores are obliged by consumer spending patterns to encourage that “spend all your money before the end of the year” behavior – both corporations and consumers have played a part in getting us where we are today.
I don’t especially like it, but the economic engine is so massive I wouldn’t even know where to begin to de-commercialize holidays.
had to look at the link… at first i thought you wrote STOLEN cake… i was thinking “why would you have to wait to xmas to steal a cake?, and for that matter why would you be happy about telling the world about doing it?
That was Bud, but other than that, I’ve seen Christmas stuff up in Walmart at the beginning of September. Same with the dollar store. I have to wonder how much longer this pattern’s going to last before it collapses under its own weight. It’s gotten to the point that the only reason I have any holiday spirit anymore is for my wife. By the end of the first week of playing, I’m already sick to death of Christmas music and have to huddle under the HPLHS “Scary Solstice” albums. I’m no horror aficionado, so I’m thinking that if you have to turn to horror-based music to maintain your sanity, something’s wrong. That could just be me, though.
i’d love to know where you go that they actually HAVE album’s for you to huddle under anymore? isn’t it all ipod digital downloads, and google play stores with nothing physical to hold in your hands anymore?
In 1979 Labor Day Weekend, I walked into a Sears and the lobby already had Christmas trees on display. I did an immediate about-face, and went into full “Bah, Humbug” mode.
For a while now my seasonal tagline has been “When you see the Christmas Lights go up in the stores, you know Thanksg.. Hallo.., uh, *Labor Day* can’t be far behind!”
Due to recent events I think “Independence Day” [July 4 for the rest of you] will be used next year.
Not only that but stores are taxed on anything not sold by January 1st. So first they have to stock way up on everything in order to maximize maximize sales and then they have to empty their shelves to prevent a tax on their profits. it is a no win scenario but by stocking up early they can start moving inventory early and hopefully lose less to taxes.
I’m singing this (or a version of this) because Hallowe’en is the most wonderful time of my year.
The changing leaves, the haunted houses, the fancy dress, the spooky stories, apple cider and bulk chocolate… *sigh*
As they said in the famous Staples Back-To-School commercial, “They’re going back!” And as MAD Magazine said in their famous article “43 Man Squamish”, “Loss of half the Flutney for rushing the season!”
I liked the Staples commercial (or was it Office something-or-other) that starred Alice Cooper’s child complaining “I thought you said that ‘School’s Out Forever’?” “No, I said ‘School’s Out for Summer’.”
And worst of all, there’s now a greetings card for every occasion, so you’ve got no excuse not to be broke and overloading the postal system all year round!
in the Peanuts Christmas special, Charlie Brown mourns how flashy and commercial Christmas has become… even Snoopy has fallen to the lure. Nobody seems to remember the true meaning of Christmas.
The show was made in 1965. The kids who voiced the characters are now grandparents. The commercialism is still with us.
be glad your parents aren’t literally Mr and Mrs Claus. (seriously every year they start doing photoshoots and stuff starting right around NOW till the end of January. MOM starts unpacking the Christmas decorations a week before thanksgiving. a week after thanksgiving… it looks like the north pole and Santa’s workshop vomited up its contents on their little row home in Maryland
Ah, yes. That time of year where a certain segment of the population make like the cast of Dune and go “The Spice must flow!”
and woe be on to thee that gets in there way.
seeing as how this is the ONLY strip to call it that, and i’m sure it’s changed names recently enough that no one here that’s not a native, or has reason to go there enough to know the area well enough, would even know the name got changed… as such, i wouldn’t have bothered even tagging it as a different name at all.
I never would’a thought Tina would allow that sort of thing at Mucho Mocha.
Special exception for Brandi.
I thought maybe Tina finally took that vacation and Becky’s responsible for it.
The eggnog Tina might allow at anytime, but the pumpkin spice think is only allowed under duress
I agree, but I’ll bet you it ain’t no artificial concoction wipped up in some laboratory somewhere- it’s the real stuff…
For anyone who’s ever wondered, there is a big difference between the stuff in the milk cartons and honest-to-goodness, Salmonella-risking homemade eggnog.
My prayers and thougts goes for your doomed tastebuds.
Doomed, I say. Bork, bork, bork!
I don’t care any more, I have to say it!
I HATE PUMPKIN!
I HATE PUMPKIN SPICE!
Leave me alone for the next two months, until peppermint everything arrives.
I like pumpkin spice (aka. ginger, cinnamon, cloves and allspice), but not in my coffee! Now peppermint…bring it on!
I love cinnamon and clove in my coffee all year long, what always confuses me is why they insist on calling it ‘pumpkin spice’ rather than the more accurate ‘pumpkin pie spices.’
Trivia for you: “Pumpkin spice _____” stuff cafes sell, includes exactly zero pumpkin-based ingredients. It’s just a mixture of spices used to make pumpkin pie. We even use the same mix of spices for other recipes, but “pork spice latte” just doesn’t seem as seasonal.
Eggnog-flavored coffee? Interesting…
Rum, cinnamon and cream, what’s not to like? Oh, right, the eggs.
In my humble opinion, it’s better with bourbon. Rum is just bitter old stuff.
BarerMender: it depends on the type of rum used
I’m one of those people that puts milk in his coffee. I once absently put eggnog in my coffee.
Don’t do that.
Wait, isn’t putting milk in coffee the normal way and not putting in milk is the ‘edgy’ way? o_O
When I was a kid, Christmas decorations started going up in the big department stores like Macy’s and Gimbels and Lord and Taylor’s some time before Thanksgiving. My mother and I would always grumble, “Too soon! Too soon!” Now it’s not uncommon to see Hallowe’en stuff get set up in early September, and the Christmas trees arriving Mid-October. Poor Thanksgiving just gets lost in the mad crush.
Working for a large retailer, one begins to see the justification at the corporate level – almost 50% of annual sales take place during what they call “peak” season – the time between 20 September and 24 December. That’s a very small window to make your year’s profitability, and companies will do all they can to promote holiday spending. If people don’t buy at Christmas, stores simply don’t survive. So while Monica’s comment is valid, stores are obliged by consumer spending patterns to encourage that “spend all your money before the end of the year” behavior – both corporations and consumers have played a part in getting us where we are today.
I don’t especially like it, but the economic engine is so massive I wouldn’t even know where to begin to de-commercialize holidays.
yeah in UK, I call it ‘desperately sell stuff so we can afford the new year’…. :P:?
Plus side is we get mince pies, Xmas cake, and my favourite stollen cake!! :):)
https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/christmas-stollen-recipe
Marzipan in stollen? Link bookmarked. Thanks.
had to look at the link… at first i thought you wrote STOLEN cake… i was thinking “why would you have to wait to xmas to steal a cake?, and for that matter why would you be happy about telling the world about doing it?
That was Bud, but other than that, I’ve seen Christmas stuff up in Walmart at the beginning of September. Same with the dollar store. I have to wonder how much longer this pattern’s going to last before it collapses under its own weight. It’s gotten to the point that the only reason I have any holiday spirit anymore is for my wife. By the end of the first week of playing, I’m already sick to death of Christmas music and have to huddle under the HPLHS “Scary Solstice” albums. I’m no horror aficionado, so I’m thinking that if you have to turn to horror-based music to maintain your sanity, something’s wrong. That could just be me, though.
i’d love to know where you go that they actually HAVE album’s for you to huddle under anymore? isn’t it all ipod digital downloads, and google play stores with nothing physical to hold in your hands anymore?
Well, https://store.hplhs.org/collections/all would be a start.
In 1979 Labor Day Weekend, I walked into a Sears and the lobby already had Christmas trees on display. I did an immediate about-face, and went into full “Bah, Humbug” mode.
For a while now my seasonal tagline has been “When you see the Christmas Lights go up in the stores, you know Thanksg.. Hallo.., uh, *Labor Day* can’t be far behind!”
Due to recent events I think “Independence Day” [July 4 for the rest of you] will be used next year.
Halloween candy has been on the shelves since August in my neck of the woods
You buy some early, sample it a few times, and then you need to buy more.
Slobber, nosh, repeat.
Not only that but stores are taxed on anything not sold by January 1st. So first they have to stock way up on everything in order to maximize maximize sales and then they have to empty their shelves to prevent a tax on their profits. it is a no win scenario but by stocking up early they can start moving inventory early and hopefully lose less to taxes.
They’d have an easier time selling it all if everyone’s paychecks had kept up with inflation.
It’s curious just how many of our country’s problems have ‘pay employees better wages’ as one of the first steps to solving them.
In truth, Christmas has been a commercial stampede since at least the 1830s.
I’m singing this (or a version of this) because Hallowe’en is the most wonderful time of my year.
The changing leaves, the haunted houses, the fancy dress, the spooky stories, apple cider and bulk chocolate… *sigh*
What Yun said…
Seconded! (Thirded, whatever!)
As they said in the famous Staples Back-To-School commercial, “They’re going back!” And as MAD Magazine said in their famous article “43 Man Squamish”, “Loss of half the Flutney for rushing the season!”
I liked the Staples commercial (or was it Office something-or-other) that starred Alice Cooper’s child complaining “I thought you said that ‘School’s Out Forever’?” “No, I said ‘School’s Out for Summer’.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Cp_JKf7KYA
Hmm, the daughter looks familiar…
I’ve actually come to despise Christmas, thanks to the extended bullshit & the neverending pressure to “buy, buy, buy”.
It’s not Christmas, it’s Commercialism.
And worst of all, there’s now a greetings card for every occasion, so you’ve got no excuse not to be broke and overloading the postal system all year round!
in the Peanuts Christmas special, Charlie Brown mourns how flashy and commercial Christmas has become… even Snoopy has fallen to the lure. Nobody seems to remember the true meaning of Christmas.
The show was made in 1965. The kids who voiced the characters are now grandparents. The commercialism is still with us.
be glad your parents aren’t literally Mr and Mrs Claus. (seriously every year they start doing photoshoots and stuff starting right around NOW till the end of January. MOM starts unpacking the Christmas decorations a week before thanksgiving. a week after thanksgiving… it looks like the north pole and Santa’s workshop vomited up its contents on their little row home in Maryland
Also, I would like to add that pumpkin spice is the new bacon.
I can’t say that I disagree with you 🥴
Ah, yes. That time of year where a certain segment of the population make like the cast of Dune and go “The Spice must flow!”
and woe be on to thee that gets in there way.
They’ve got pumpkin spice tea as well.
No, it’s still undrinkable.
Now, we’re talking. What about spam, tea, spam, pumpkin spice and spam?
Even in Hawaii, pumpkin-spice spam is anathema.
Lovely pumpkin spice, wonderful pumpkin spice.
I like the use of a darker skin tone for Brandi… it goes well with the way her facial features and hair have always been portrayed.
Also… I think the location tagging has a typo…s/b “Lake Calhoun”?
Oh, good catch!
Pablo, that’s not Lake Calhoun. That’s Lake Bde Maka Ska!
seeing as how this is the ONLY strip to call it that, and i’m sure it’s changed names recently enough that no one here that’s not a native, or has reason to go there enough to know the area well enough, would even know the name got changed… as such, i wouldn’t have bothered even tagging it as a different name at all.
Just under a year ago, I had a comment about the name change/correction:
http://wapsisquare.com/comic/can-tell/
Give me the eggnog. The pumpkin spice you can keep. It is so overdone.
I’d like to get reacquainted with Brandi now that she is no longer possessed.
Any chance of that?
Bud said it best herself: It’s pumpkin spice sweater weather!
It’s hurricane season down here!
Were you affected by Florence and/or in the path of Michael? Please take care!