The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

When I was younger my mother would always roll her eyes in chagrin when we would walk into the mall in November to find Christmas decorations plastered everywhere. It seemed that each year the decorations came out earlier and earlier until Santa Claus was trick-or-treating side by side with Batman and the Grim Reaper. I rolled my eyes right along with my mother, thinking in my little girl brain that I would never be involved in such a breach of seasonal etiquette.

That girl would be rolling her eyes at me today.

Now, when Christmas paraphernalia begins appearing in stores starting the moment fall hits, I feel, not an eye-roll, but a tingle of excitement. When I see holiday lights and wreaths for sale in the weekly ads right underneath jack-o-lanterns and witch costumes, I cannot be more delighted. While it’s true that the marketing geniuses see this early adverting simply as a way to get the greater American population buying high-priced toys for our kids that much sooner, I see it as precious extra time to celebrate a holiday season that brings, not only joy to the world, but to me as well. Twenty-five days in December just isn’t enough. For one thing, there is far too much Christmas music to listen to in that short of a space of time.

I start listening to Christmas music the minute Halloween is over, much to the dismay of my husband. He is not a pre-December Christmas music listener. His holiday CDs stay tightly locked up until Thanksgiving is over and the first snow has fallen. I find this to be impossible, as much as I try. I am a closet Christmas music junkie. In fact, I have been known to pull out a holiday CD in July, if the feeling in the air is right. It’s never the hard core stuff, like the classics of Bing and Judy, but somehow a small part of me still feels like I have to be sneaky about this, as if I’m betraying some unspoken cosmic rule of Christmas.

I feel that way right now. As I write this, Vanessa Williams is singing to me about telling things on mountains. In fact, I’ve been listening to Christmas music all afternoon. I just can’t help myself. It’s a good thing my husband is in class.

Now, I know, I know. It's not even Thanksgiving yet, but, again, I can't help myself. It's really a showing of self-restraint that I didn't do this back in August. I love the holiday season and can feel it coming on starting in September with back-to-school goings on and then Halloween that slides right into Thanksgiving and then. . . CHRISTMAS!

So I will be one of those listening to Christmas music long before it snows and who is just itching to pull out the tree. I'm not forgetting Thanksgiving. I'm very thankful for many things. Christmas just happens to be one of them.