The Curse of HomeGoods

​Written by: Emily Golding

It’s difficult to ascertain the haunting grips of materialism in the midst of this upcoming holiday season. HomeGoods, a home furnishings chain in the United States, is a poison to American minds by the time of Halloween’s arrival in the middle of September. Through the creaking automatic doors of HomeGoods, scents of pumpkin spice and apple cider proliferate through the air. The plastic sycamore leaves of amber and scarlet entangle our minds and whisper, “Buy me, buy me!” And more too often, the candlesticks and synthetic spider webs place us in a trance of material devotion, unable to break its spell over us unless we have the money to pay out. If we preach about sustainability, why can’t we refuse the candy corn lawn blow-ups and plastic skeletons waving pleasantries to our neighbors? There are so many substitutes for finding your fall decor like organizing local flora into wreaths and creating twig skeletons. You could perhaps make your own witch’s broom! However, this is easier said than done. The human need to spice up our lives proves to be a paradox now more than ever under the grip of HomeGoods’s curse.