The Holidays

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Although I have to wonder, whenever I hear that song, who tells scary ghost stories at Christmas?

Nonsensical Christmas lyrics asides, I love this time of the year. From Halloween to New Year's Day is my favoritest time. I love the holidays, I love the music, I love the decorations. In some ways, I even love the craziness that accompanies this time of the year.

Normally, I wait until the first week of December to decorate, but for some reason, this year was different. It seemed as if people didn't even want to wait for Thanksgiving before putting up their Christmas decorations. I don't know if it was people taking advantage of the warm weather (it was sixty degrees today, and it's been more warm than cold since summer.) I tried to resist, but it was futile. The day after Thanksgiving, I dug out the Christmas decorations. My husband held out on the lights (put them up last week) but the rest of the house was already finished.

The one part I don't like is baking. I love to cook, but I'm not a big baker. I try. Really, I do. But I end up getting all snarly and cranky and don't even think about poking your head into my kitchen. I'm liable to rip it off in a fit of rage. At least, until the last batch of cookies comes out of the oven. Then, all is right in the world. My cookies will look like mutant relatives of what they're actually supposed to be (my candy canes never hook right, they unroll, and I always have too much of one color. :D My cutouts are missing body parts because I tend to roll the dough too thin and it breaks. You get the point. :D)

And then there's shopping. Ugh. That about sums up my enthusiasm for shopping. On a good day, I run into the mall, get what I need, and get out. If everything's going my way, I can be there and back home in under half an hour. But at this time of the year? Ugh. Fortunately, I can go during the day - back before I had the kidlets, when I worked, I suffered with the mega-crowds and managed to make it to New Year's without killing anyone. At least now, the chances of committing homicide are greatly reduced. And since I don't leave my house on Black Friday, even more people are safe. :D

But all in all, I do love this time of the year and I do miss it when the holidays end. And I always wonder just where the year went, because every year seems to go by a little faster.

Hopefully, I'll be able to work in one or two more posts before the end of the year. But just in case I don't (and judging by my posting history the last year or so, it's entirely possible I won't) Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and enjoy the rest of the season!