Every now and then we all need a break from high-minded culture, and I'm getting it in the form of colorful, seasonal kitsch. Many of the 18th century townhouses in my city neighborhood were built with recessed windows, likely intended to display shop wares, but now the perfect setting for showing off the family collection of holiday-related paraphernalia. Doors, stoops, gates - all are fair game. With the leaves turning, the skies gray, and rain streaking the brick houses and sidewalks, the jolt of kitschy color adds a fun note to an ordinary stroll through the streets. Halloween is a prime inspiration, but it's just the opening act - Christmas, the high point of kitsch season, will be hot on its heels.
