Psssssssssssst

Out driving around today both before and after dark. This week has seen the first main wave of Christmas lights and other decorations go up, though there were a few early decorators last week (at houses, not stores, which would decorate in July if they could).

The incidence of holiday inflatables seems no more or less than last year, down from a peak of a few years ago, in my opinion, which is based only on simple observation. If I wanted some hard data, I might ask the Seasonal Inflatable Manufacturers Association or some such (blow-em-up.org, maybe) about sales trends.

In the morning, these inflatable Santas and snowmen and the like have a tendency to be lying flat on people’s lawns, which might account for a decline in popularity. Even if I didn’t think they were ridiculous, I wouldn’t want something I had to reinflate every day.