Porch pumpkins are getting soggy, candy is on sale at bargain prices, and the eternal Mariah Carey has emerged from her annual cicada-like stasis to provide musical accompaniment to another year of holiday shopping frenzy.

Like Mariah blasting from every radio, another annual Toronto tradition returns to the CF Toronto Eaton Centre this month when the shopping centre unveils its iconic 114-foot-tall Yule tree — touted as the tallest indoor tree in North America.

The tree has adorned the shopping centre's central atrium almost every holiday season since 2016, but was conspicuously absent last holiday season.

The Eaton Centre's massive tree returns after a brief absence during the 2022 holiday shopping rush to accommodate for since-completed renovations to the glass roof of the mall's central atrium.

Last year's tree-less experience saw the debut of fake indoor snow, a feature returning to the mall this holiday season.

Cadillac Fairview promises "the centre will make it snow even more than last year, transforming CF Toronto Eaton Centre into a true wintery wonderland."

A representative of the company told blogTO last year that this artificial indoor snow "is made from an evaporating foam that is non-stick, non-stain, and non-toxic" that does not require any post-snowfall cleaning.

Each time that fake foamy snow falls on holiday shoppers, Cadillac Fairview will donate $500 to Covenant House, racking up to a total donation of $100,000.

The Eaton Centre will celebrate its annual tree-lighting on November 15 at 6 p.m. in a ceremony led by local pop music legends the Barenaked Ladies, who will also host a singalong with the Toronto Children's Chorus.

The mall is just one of 18 CF retail properties across the country transforming into "CF Winterville" outposts this holiday season, each offering unique holiday decor, performances, and entertainment.