This Labor Day weekend may be the unofficial kick-off of the holiday gift season. Of course there are sales but it also is a clear message how much time you have to make things.

It is also the gear up time for fairs, fiestas, and crafts shows. You can feel the change in the air and I hope it will get cooler. Fall veggies and fruits are starting to come in – there is the aroma of chile roasting in the air.

It is the time to start looking for the hiding places you put those special gifts. Get them found! You may be surprised what you bought many months ago.

Labor Day spells renewal and a new start. It is fun the get school supplies, new fall clothes, and gifts. It is also a time for a new mind-set! Where you are, get a local book to read and give one as a gift. Books last forever. Keep your eye on craft fairs for the perfect, hand-made gift. Buy for a reason not just to spend money.

I can faintly hear those jingle bells! Of course if I go in Costco, Cost Plus, or many other stores, they have already started putting out Christmas decorations. I want it to get cool first! HO HO HO!


- Barbe Awalt