Monthly Archives: October 2021

Holiday Storage: It’s time to get out the Halloween decorations!

Ah, Fall! Leaves are turning brilliant colors, and there is a nip in the air! As the manager of The Storage Inn self storage in Egg Harbor Township New Jersey, I also notice something else this time of year – customers pulling their holiday decorations out of their self storage units. Today I noticed Mrs. Wilcott taking Halloween decorations out of her storage space, including a large ceramic Jack O’Lantern. This got me to thinking – “what are jack-o-lanterns, and where did they come from?” – So I did a bit of research, and here is what I found…

So where did Jack-o-lanterns Come From?

Jack-o’-lanterns have been around for centuries, and it all began with an Irish myth. According to Legend, a man nicknamed Stingy Jack invited the devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Jack did not want to pay, and persuaded the devil to turn himself into a coin to pay for the drinks. Once the devil had made the transformation, Jack decided that he wanted to keep the coin, and placed it into his pocket next to a cross, which prevented the devil from changing back into his original form. Eventually Jack realized that although he had the coin, he could not spend it without allowing the Devil to change back to his original form, and exact his revenge – so he made a deal. Jack would allow the devil to reclaim his original form so long as the devil  would never claim his soul.

According to the legend, when Jack finally died, God would not allow him into heaven based on his less-than-stellar behavior on Earth. The Devil, still upset by the trick that Jack had played on him, and in keeping to his promise not to claim Jack’s soul, would not allow Jack into hell. Instead he sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Legend has it that Jack placed the coal into a carved-out turnip, and has been roaming the Earth, trying to find his way home ever since.

378-stingy-jack-294x300

The Irish originally referred to this ghostly figure as “Jack of the lantern”, but eventually shortened it to “Jack-o’-Lantern”. The original Jack o lanterns made in Ireland and Scotland, were made by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes, and placing them in windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack, and any other evil spirits that might be lurking. When immigrants from these countries finally arrived in America, they found that pumpkins, which were native to America, were perfect for making Jack-o-lanterns –  and so the tradition of the American pumpkin Jack O’Lantern was born!

Storage prices that even Stingy Jack would love?

If you’re a holiday enthusaist who needs a storage solution to keep all your holiday decorations stored safe and sound, then stop by one our Storage Inn locations in either Egg Harbor Township New Jersey or Ocean City New Jersey. Our friendly staff will be happy to scare up some storage space for you at a cheap storage unit price that even ole Stingy Jack might like!

 

 

What is Indian Summer?

It’s the first half of October here at The Storage Inn in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, and the place is jumping! This probably has something to do with the unusually warm weather we’ve been experiencing?!

One of our customers, Damon, strode into our storage supplies store and proclaimed, “October, and it’s actually hot outside!”  to which I replied, ” Indian Summer!”

Damon, who also happens to be a school teacher, told me that I was, in fact, incorrect, and that Indian Summer only occurs after the first frost of the year. “Still hot though!” he exclaimed as he walked out of the office and back towards his storage space.

Hmmmm – I wondered if he was actually correct about the frost thing, so I checked it out, and found some interesting facts about “Indian Summer”.

Indian summer is defined as a period of unseasonably warm, dry and calm weather, usually following a period of colder weather or frost in late Autumn.

The Origin

Indian summer was first recorded in Letters From an American Farmer, in a 1778 work by the French-American soldier turned farmer, J. H. St. John de Crèvecoeur.

“Then a severe frost succeeds which prepares it to receive the voluminous coat of snow which is soon to follow; though it is often preceded by a short interval of smoke and mildness, called the Indian Summer.”

There are many references to the term in American literature to refer to any late flowering following a period of decline. John Greenleaf Whittier wrote of “The Indian Summer of the Heart”, and Oliver Wendell Holmes mentions “an Indian summer of serene widowhood” in his story The Guardian Angel.

Why “Indian”?

The English already had names for this phenomenon including St. Luke’s Summer, St. Martin’s Summer or All-Hallows Summer, but eventually these terms disappeared and were replaced by indian summer.

Why Indian? Well, no one knows but, as is commonplace when no one knows, many people have guessed. Here are three of the more commonly repeated guesses…

When European settlers first came across the phenomenon in America it became known as the Indian’s Summer as Native American tribes would wait for a warm spell in the autumn to harvest their crops including pumpkins, gourds, and fall vegetables.

It originated from raids on European settlements by Indian war parties, which usually ended in late autumn, after “Indian Summer”.


Native Americans were considered untrustworthy by many white settlers, spawning terms such as “Indian giver”. The aforementioned late-summer heat was considered a “false summer”, thus the term “Indian” summer.

Well, who knows if any of these theories are correct? What I do know is that both the staff, and our self-storage customers here at The Storage Inn will be enjoying the warm days ahead! I think I’ll spend a couple next week in shorts and flip-flops, turn the ball game on the radio, sit on my back deck and have a cold beer – Indian Summer Rules!