Monday, October 15, 2007

...is it December yet?


It hits me about this time every year. I am so ready for the Christmas season to start. Not physically ready - not a single gift has been purchased (at least by me: Connie brought all the kids' gifts when they were here last week) - but emotionally. I think that the moment the weather starts to turn cool, I am humming Christmas songs.

It doesn't help, of course, that Hobby Lobby has their Christmas trees up already. Or that I got the Scrapbook Trends holiday book the other day (my layout is on page 48, in case you're looking) and I've been drooling over the products and ideas. (As if I didn't have enough Christmas-related papers and embellishments. Seriously, it's kind of embarrassing.) I'm sure that pretty soon, the ward choir will start rehearsing for the Christmas program. I'm tempted to start listening to Christmas music, but I do feel that October 15 is a little early for the Muppets.

So, I've been releasing my pent-up holiday lust by flipping through magazines of cookie recipes. Cookies are pretty much suitable year-round, right?

It didn't always used to be this way. When I was a kid, I was adamant that the Christmas season does not start until December 1st. Period. No negotiations allowed. Not that I didn't love every minute of it - I think it was because I loved it, that I was afraid of seasonal overkill. Now, of course, I see the error of my ways. There is no way that Christmas could ever wear out its welcome. I've revised my hard-and-fast stance a bit... now the season begins the day after Thanksgiving, but if I need to start listening to the music or watching the Charlie Brown special a few weeks ahead of schedule, that's okay too.

However. I do still need to get through Halloween first, right? And it's possible, just possible, that I may be a crazy person. I need to do a scrapbook layout to purge my feelings... just as soon as I can figure out a photo that appropriately conveys the sentiment "I'm so obsessed with Christmas that I want it to start in mid-October even though I know that's wrong. Wrong." How on earth am I supposed to take a picture of that?

6 witty remarks on "...is it December yet?"

Anonymous said...

One interesting (it's all relative) thing I learned in retail is why the holiday stuff goes up in mid-October. Around this time of year many years ago, a manager explained to me that the goal is to have the holiday visuals completely set by Nov. 1. "T'was always thus, and always thus will be," he said, or words to that effect. But since the trend has been to downsize or eliminate the visual departments (since they are a cost center; they don't sell anything), whoever is left has to get an earlier start, so you start seeing the beginnings of it in mid-October.

This explanatory note will one day become a holiday tradition in the Blinn family, in homage to Dad's revered Triptophan Lectures.

Anonymous said...

When I was a kid, I was adamant that the Christmas season does not start until December 1st. Period. No negotiations allowed. Now, of course, I see the error of my ways.


AHA!!!!!!! I'm so glad to see you write that!!! Your stance on the beginning of the Christmas season used to drive me batty. Happy to see you've come around!!

Joni on 5:04 PM said...

Thanks for the unbelievably interesting information. I'd love to see a retail manager say "twas."

Speaking of Blinn holiday lectures, can anyone tell me if Jesus was ACTUALLY born on December 25th? Because I've been wondering... ;-)

susan opel on 7:53 PM said...

So, I am just ready for the holiday weather to appear, and for silly creeps to quit going crazy about Halloween.

It's NEVER too early for the Muppets - OK, maybe a LITTLE early!

Anonymous said...

"Tryptophan Lectures????"
Alas, my children mock me!
That is SOOOOO unfair!

Kevin Blinn on 6:49 PM said...

Yeah, because it's so
unfair to mock someone who's
blogging in haiku

 

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