Our Christmas Mantle 2011

The Christmas season is my happy place.  I’m not religious in any way, but there is something about the time of year, from the music, to the food (oh god, the FOOD!) to the glittery, sparkling, twinkling, jingle-y decor that gets me more excited than a fat kid in a candy store.  But when it comes to the holiday season, I have some firm rules:

1. I force myself to wait until Nov 1 to cue up the Jingle Bells, Rudolph, and Mariah so as not to OD on it before Santa shows up.  (I may have caved a day early this year while driving home on Halloween after a particularly rough day at the office.)
2. I won’t subject Jefe to the music until Black Friday.
3. I’m not allowed to decorate until Black Friday (although I sometimes cheat if I get a second wind after the Thanksgiving meal).
4. As of this year, I’m not allowed to buy any more holiday decor until I get rid of some of the things I already have.  I just have no extra space to store the 4-foot inflatable abominable snowman I may have scoped out at Home Depot yesterday:

So although I LOVE the season, I try to refrain from getting too engulfed in it earlier than necessary.  But I’ve noticed a growing trend – Christmas seems to have arrived in October this year.  From the glassy ornaments at World Market to the Target dog running amok in a snowy town in their latest commercial, it appears that the retailers of America have decided that the holiday festivities will now start in mid-October.  Poor Halloween is suddenly getting the short end of the stick.

I love fall almost as much as I love Christmas, but with all the red and green pressure, I don’t feel compelled to decorate for the season or get excited for Turkey Day (the 90 degree LA temperatures don’t exactly help).  I feel like I’m being peer-pressured into buying jingle bell vase filler and listening to Nat King Cole on constant repeat.  Is anyone else having this problem?  It could also be that I’m a tiny bit bummed that I am not hosting Thanksgiving this year.  It was a bit stressful cooking it all myself last year, but I kind of loved setting the table, having the house smelling amazing, and feeding the family a meal that I made that wasn’t just edible, but was actually pretty damn good.   I’m still amazed I successfully brined a 20 lb. turkey all by myself (with Jefe doing a bit of the heavy wet-turkey lifting.)  And I set a pretty mean table if I do say so myself.

Turkey Day 2011 table

Despite all of this though, I’m trying to power through my holiday confusion as I love the holiday season and everything that goes with it, be it Turkey Day, Christmas, Winter Solstice or Hanukkah (who doesn’t love a little dreidel spinning, am I right?!)  I’m still planning on making my Grandma’s infamous apple pie and Momma Sny’s sweet potatos (no marshmallows allowed!) to take with us to Thanksgiving at Jefe’s aunt’s house.  I’m also currently contemplating a few quick and easy spruce ups of the aparment with some fall-themed decor in addition to my sad little $1 mini pumpkins and a burlap runner.  But my stipulations are that it’s got to be something either a) reusable for next year or b) easily disposable.  Because we all know I’ll be busting out the snowmen and reindeer antlers in 3 weeks anyways.

This year’s sad fall display. Why can’t their just be a maple tree nearby that I could swipe a few branches and leaves from?! Ridiculously warm LA weather – that’s why.

All kidding aside, I’d be lying if I said my Christmas playlist wasn’t on constant repeat and is helping to get me through some tough times at the ‘ol 9-to-5.  (God, how I wish those were my hours).  There is just something about a little holly, jolly music that seems to make everything better.  But I get it honestly.  Momma Sny starts in September.  At least I have the decency to wait until October 31 November 1.