Thursday, November 6, 2008

The holidays come earlier and earlier each year

So we all know how much I love this time of year, especially Christmas time. Obviously with my birthday so close to Christmas (exactly 1 week before), I have always had an excitement and feeling of festiveness when it came to the month of December. Each year you notice Christmas decorations out earlier and earlier each year, most recently as early as mid-October. And everyone always says how crazy it is to see so much Christmas stuff while the Halloween things are still on the shelves - and of course we haven't even starting thinking about Thanksgiving yet but mid-October, but retailers expect us to be buying our Christmas cards and decorations! There used to be a time when you didn't think of Christmas presents, music or decorations until Black Friday - that big day when it was all about the countdown to Christmas. This year, I started getting emails from my favorite retailers about Christmas deals on the day after Halloween, Starbucks already has their Christmas cups fully stocked and I've already found myself forced into buying this years Christmas cards (cause I have a feeling that if I had waited until after Thanksgiving, they would be sold out!) I honestly haven't even come up with what I want to get some of the special people in my life yet, which makes me feel like I will miss all deals or stock in general with the way it's all trending earlier and earlier each year.
I haven't heard a whole lot of Christmas music in public places yet - actually on 101.1 this morning they had some ridiculous song on that was sorta about Christmas and someone in the station asked if they were already playing Christmas music, no one responded. Back in my days at Lucky, we were of course planning for the Holidays by mid-October which things definitely hitting the store before Thanksgiving but the Holiday CD that would come in the mail in early November, was NOT to be placed in the DMX player until Black Friday! Of course we only played about 25% Holiday music in with the standard songs, but still NOT UNTIL BLACK FRIDAY! :-)
I of course, LOVE Christmas music - usually mid summer every year I feel a need to have a little "Christmas in July" week where I will pull up a playlist of Christmas music on my iPod. I would do this at work this year and just be thoroughly happy to be listening to my favorite music, and just wondering what the heck everyone would think if they really knew what music was pumping into my ears! hehe This year, I feel that this need and desire has spread to my friends if I am to go my Facebook statuses (which of course I do, because at least one day a week I spend about of my day Facebook stalking friends). I think it's fantastic of course, cause now I'm not the only one, but it definitely showcases how the Christmas season is spreading and lasting longer each year.
Jon was ready to decorate the townhouse last weekend - which I blame on the time difference after returning from China. He settled for me putting away the Halloween decorations and using listening to Christmas music around the house and renting Christmas with the Kranks on iTunes for our Saturday night movie. Great movie by the way, we need to buy that one this year, cause it's getting pricey to rent each year.
The last thing that I shall ramble on about with Christmas for today is how relief and excited of the first time in 5 years that I do not work in the restaurant or retail business. This means there is no fighting over getting time off to spend with my family. Jon and I discussed dates, I told Conrad and it was a done deal - I guess now I should probably tell the fam, huh? So I get the full week at home for Christmas, starting just 2 days after my 25th birthday (woah!) but for the first time in 4 years, I get to leave DC on Thanksgiving which is HUGE! 3 of these years mom was able to come spend Thanksgiving with me and then the 1 year Nick graciously invited me to spend Thanksgiving with him and his family an Annapolis. I will be traveling with Jon to Ann Arbor, Michigan this year, so I won't get to see my family per say, but spending Thanksgiving with Jon and meeting the Michigan side of the family sounds like a great thing to me!

Of subject, for those of you who knew that Grannie went back to the ER on Monday, probably were not informed of her having to go back on Monday night and be admitted once again. Mom and I are hoping that she is going home to 249 today, but I probably won't know more about it until early this evening. I pray that something could be done to stop her from having to go through this process each time, I pray that she doesn't end up there again because the drs. have said they will take her straight to surgery next time. This may sound like the better plan to some of you, but past surgeries are what's causing this so technically it could happen all over again and secondly, surgery on some who is almost 85 is scary in it's own right, no matter how strong she may be. Mom said last night that she looked the best that she's looked in a long time, which I was happy to hear. I am positive that her getting home soon with make us all happy!

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