When it comes to officially kicking-off the Christmas season, I have a pretty hard and fast rule on timing...
I don't do anything until December 1st.
No lights, no decorations, no tree...nada until all those Thanksgiving leftovers are officially out of the fridge.
I can't help it, I like to compartmentalize my holidays. + I feel like turkey day gets a bit of the short shrift...it's like the flyover state of holidays, so I try and lavish attention on Thanksgiving in the spirit of giving it its full due.
And you know I have to take every opportunity to drive this home with the girlies too. When we're cruising through the mall with its prematurely piped-in Christmas tunes, when we're dodging the aisles of twinkle lights and wrapping paper at Target trying to get to the laundry detergent, I’m complaining (like some young, female Andy Rooney) about how Christmas “starts” earlier every year and how stores just want us to spend more money and blah, blah, blah.
Well friends this weekend I broke my “hard and fast” rule. Big time. (But aren’t most overly extreme declarations, destined for breakage?)
First there were the slew of “holiday” votive candles purchased at the Whole Foods on Sunday (were you wondering where the weekend fit into all of this?) and lit immediately upon getting home. Peppermint vanilla. My favorite. Crazy lovely. The whole kitchen was a sea of Christmas. Yikes.
Once you’re “smelling” Christmas it’s all over I guess, as next thing I knew Millie and I were singing Christmas carols and drawing little pictures of snowmen and candy canes and…Santa.
We were sucked in.
But wait there’s more…Earlier in the week, my lovely friend Lori invited us to join her family in previewing the windows at the downtown Neiman Marcus (a little test-run, sneak peek for employees and their friends.) So later that evening, we found ourselves in sweaters and tights and boots, marveling at the brilliant holiday windows and the twinkly lights, sipping hot chocolate, eating little cookies and (the girlies not me) sitting on Santa’s lap telling him our Christmas wishes. We had a total blast.
Words officially eaten.
