Pumpkins on the corner

Today is the last day of November. As I was driving home this evening I saw that our neighbors had left their various decorative Thanksgiving (and maybe Halloween) pumpkins on the corner of their driveway. Cherished and celebrated items days and weeks ago now sitting out as trash, destined for the landfill and rot. The pages fall from the calendar and the machine grinds on to its next meal. In only a few weeks time the Christmas trees we are glowing with enthusiasm about now will be sitting out dead and dry waiting for the conveyor belt to carry them forth to their ends.

As joyful as this time of year can be and often is, it is also one of unrepentant waste and tragic frivolity.