Merry … October, everyone! Sure, we haven’t even hit Halloween yet, but the stores don’t know that. Places like Lowe’s have already stuck the Fall decor on the clearance racks, and Christmas stuff blew in like Elsa’s fury.

This past weekend, one of the nation’s largest hardware stores decided to unload every piece of Christmas and Winter holiday merchandise. From trees to wreaths, to animatronic Santas, to IP, it was all here and ready for your precious dollars.

Maybe I didn’t pay attention last year, but I don’t remember quite as much of Mickey and Minnie on the shelves in 2022. There was a lot of A Nightmare Before Christmas merch, for sure. However, 2023 must be the Year of the Mouse because there’s no Jack Skelington in sight.

An extensive array of Mickey and Minnie Mouse items is in the Pumpkin King’s place. Although the mice aren’t my favorite Disney creations, I will concede that the new snow…er… people(?) bearing the simplified likenesses of the two rodents is appealing. I always preferred it when Mickey didn’t have whites in his eyes.

The snowmice appear to be the major icons on this year’s Holiday line. The designs appear on classic plastic lawn decorations, string lights, inflatables, and LED-lit yard stakes.

Aside from the famous duo, a couple of other characters appear this year, but with far fewer variations. There’s a light-up wireframe Stitch and, a real rarity, a wireframe Dumbo, too!

We spotted only a single Olaf for those who are burnt out on Frozen.

Don’t worry. If you’re not a Disney fan, other staples of the Holiday Season are also represented. This may be the most Rankin Bass stuff I’ve ever seen at Lowe’s. By most, I mean roughly five items. It’s great if you’re a Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster or Hermey fan.

The smattering of non-Disney decore is a bit all over the place. There’s Rudolph, Frosty, Snoopy, a Minion, the Grinch, and … Scooby-Doo?! Sure. When I think of Christmas, I think of a crime-solving Great Dane.