If you judge the passage of time primarily by the decor available in home-goods stores, there are four seasons: spring, America, Halloween and Christmas.

The year begins — in January, mind you — with goods promising the arrival of flowers and the Easter bunny. This bit of the calendar used to be reserved for Valentine’s Day, but Cupid has lost the tchotchke battle; this year, I bought my first Cadbury Cream Egg on Jan. 2.

The spring stuff continues until April or so, at which time patriotic decor and all manner of pyrotechnic accoutrements fill shelves as stores prepare for the Memorial-Day-to-Independence-Day corridor.

As soon as the bunting falls, however, it’s Spooky Season. Never mind that July 4 is 119 days from Oct. 31; once we douse those cookout charcoals and watch the fireworks

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