Seasonal Transitions on the Porch

This past week, with Thanksgiving behind us, I've noticed that the shift from Autumn decorating to Christmas is not as seamless down here in South Florida as in other parts of the country.  Our high on Monday was in the mid 80's, so it's hard to feel Christmasy.

I saw a pre-teen twirling in a front yard by a deflated pumpkin--the kind you plug in and it inflates, not the biological pumpkin.  The girl had a Christmas cap on her head (red and green colors = Christmas), shorts and sneakers.  I didn't have my camera, but the image has stuck with me.

A few mornings later, I walked through the post-cold front crispness, and I caught sight of our neighbor's step. 

After my walk, I grabbed the camera to capture it:

Had this skeleton been embracing this pumpkin since Halloween?  How could I have not noticed?  Or had the children gotten bored over Thanksgiving and rearranged decorations?

Of course, I, too, have pumpkins on my porch.  I keep thinking I'll transform them into something festive, but if I'm going to do that, I need to act soon.  Christmas is almost upon us. 

I do have a wreath.  Here is this year's creation:

Yes, those are real pine boughs.  So far my eye has not turned goopy.  My skin isn't too itchy.

Even though I haven't done much decorating around my house, I have transformed my office.  More on that tomorrow.