It happened right before Labor Day. Thub (the + hub) and I were doing our monthly Costco run, hoping to score some end-of-season beach gear. No sooner had we passed a yummy display of Metamucil than the undeniable visual of the changing seasons assaulted us.

There were no leftover beach chairs, no umbrellas begging for their moment in the sun. Instead, demanding our full attention, were blinking Christmas trees and an animatronic Santa sharing an end cap with a gigantic skeleton dancing behind a…