Christmas

Christmas is my favorite time of year.

Every year, I anxiously wait for the Christmas season to arrive. It seems that as I get older, the season seems to come earlier for me. This year, I broke out the Christmas movies and music about two weeks before Halloween. That is uncharacteristically early for me but a few factors went into this event. The first was the fact that the television channel CMT began playing Christmas Vacation on a daily basis. I couldn't help but watch it. It is a holiday classic full of comedy and family fun. It is one of my favorite movies.

Another factor that went into my early yule tide feelings was the discovery of Spotify. This music database is some thing magical for all ages. I was able to create a playlist of all of my favorite Christmas songs and listen to it nonstop throughout the holiday season. My playlist includes Trans-Siberian Orchestra, the Barenaked Ladies, Elvis Presley, Where are you Christmas?, and many, many others. My personal favorite is Christmas Shoes.* Having these songs playing on a loop for two plus months is something I used to only dream of. Now its a reality.

*I can also sing this whole song without using the music. It is one of my special talents. Don't believe me? Call me up and I will do it.

After these two holiday introductory factors, I began to get in full Christmas spirit. At the beginning of this year I had three Holiday movies. Now I own five. These are as follows: Elf, A Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation, The Santa Clause, and Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the live action version). I am a huge, huge fan of all of these movies and they never get old. From Halloween to now, I have watched these movies anywhere from 2-10 times, with Elf being the most watched out of all of them. I could watch this movie back to back for the rest of my life and be completely satisfied. It is arguably the best modern holiday movie. Nothing compares to it.

Another thing that got me in the holiday spirit was the fact that Walmart was putting their holiday decorations up right after Halloween. This included the Christmas lights, trees, and candy. I purchased two holiday themed candles for my room as well. I was in full Winter Wonderland mode. The weather was getting cold and the days getting shorter. We even had a pretty heavy snowfall, albeit with no accumulation, one night. Nothing was going to stop me from celebrating Christmastime early.

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, it is officially the Christmas season. I can no longer feel out of place with my music and movies. Radio stations are now playing Christmas songs non stop and the stores are selling out of the latest gadgets and gizmos. Merry and Bright is in full swing with music sharing and discussion. This is the best time of the year and I hope that everyone enjoys it with their friends and family.