Well, it’s that time of year again.

It’s a magical period of the year, where I breathe in scents of autumn, take in the deep orange and yellow hues of the world around me and whole-heartedly complain about the fact that I’m already seeing Christmas items on store shelves.

As a point of fact, I have to admit before I get too far into my ravings on the premature celebrations of a holiday still three months away that part of the reason this is on my mind is the magazine.

And it’s simply because we have to work on stories so far ahead of time for content in our November-December edition of Austin Living, which is a challenge unto itself.

Still, it was a bit of a start when myself and my girlfriend went out this past Monday to run some errands and look for some Halloween decorations. Walking down the aisles of these stores I turned the corner on a couple occasions to find Christmas decorations.

Man, I love Halloween and it gets the shaft more and more as Christmas encroaches where it’s not wanted.

Now I don’t hate Christmas. In fact, despite what you might be thinking right now Reader No. 9, I rather like the holiday — in its place.

October is for Halloween. It’s for spooks and scares and silly frights. Late night scary movies, kiddos in costumes roaming door-to-door with the secret candy password, “trick or treat.”

Still, stores are stocking their shelves with yuletide trinkets as Halloween gets treated as a throw-away toy.

Shameful.

And really has there ever been a time in our lives to better celebrate this spooky time of year when there is a real-life horror story happening in Washington D.C. each day?

“No, don’t go into darkened room! The politicians are there!”

Running into Christmas items now seems like a nagging voice of some responsibility you don’t want.

“Just under three months left to shop for presents.”

“Stop pressuring me!”

In our meager household with our two little demon cats haunting our sleep, we celebrate Halloween in full as well as some others who have gone through great effort to spookify their front lawns and portions of their houses.

I salute you my fellow Halloween fiends. You are the ones keeping the love of our holiday alive.

Even as Christmas continues pushing on the boundaries of our own favorite holidays, you heroes of haunts are paving the way for the rest of us as we struggle with our ire of early holidays that should have to wait for their time.

Santa owes me an explanation as to why this is happening.

Actually, he already has to explain the tennis racket when I was in my single-digit years. My mom and dad have since owned up to it, but I think they are just covering for him.

Still, Santa, of all people, shouldn’t be feeling the pressure this early. He will have festivals to attend in December, last-minute packing and toys to finish up. A heightened production schedule is probably sending elves to counciling already.

He shouldn’t be required to think of these things so early.

At any rate, I haven’t even got to Thanksgiving, which routinely gets the short end of the drumstick, unless you got to the Renaissance Festival and already got your turkey drumstick, which then you probably don’t care and are already hanging tinsel.

How could you? Yeah, you know who are. At least I hope so, because I really don’t know who you are. I’m simply fishing.

Come my sinister sidekicks, take the time and walk past Christmas. The Elf on a Shelf will have his time to do — whatever it is he does. Let’s take time for ghouls on a … um … spiders on a …. no, that’s not right either.

Tell you what, I’ll get back to to you. For now, let the call go out that we need to be scared, frightened and thrilled.

Just this moment I had to tend to my own little demon Nemi as she scared me to death by turning her claws on the couch.

Horrifying. Also, I’m not dead.

I say, let’s give the milk and cookies a bit longer and instead turn it up to 11. More haunted houses I say. And not just those that give little nods and winks as you roam through them.

Haunted houses where you laugh more than anything. Hah! Imposters!

True haunted houses like when I was a kid. Haunted houses that scar you for life. Yeah, those are the hauntings and horrors we need this month.

Celebrate this spooky time of year, don’t forget it. Why not be truly scared by creative people rather than be scared by the mad rush for some toy your kid thinks they desperately need and will play with maybe twice.

Besides, I just saw the trailer for a new movie coming up in November so it looks like Halloween might be carrying over a bit.

Oh, nevermind. It’s just another political ad. I guess that’s another kind of scary movie.