Ode to Christmas

I have learned two things from my sojourn here on this planet called earth: (1) Nothing can put me in a Christmas-y mood as quickly as Nat King Cole singing "The Christmas Song"; and, (2) With pizza on a bagel, you can eat pizza any time.

Today, I'd like to focus on the first and admit that I'm a Christmas junkie. I get excited for it six months out; so much so that I am convinced that I am the reason for Christmas in July. I love hot chocolate, and egg nog, and the smell of campfire, and roasting turkey and-- the ultimate, hands-down best smell of all-time (next to zested lemon)-- pine tree. 

I walked into the Christmas tree stall in the parking lot of Home Depot this year and was immediately intoxicated by the heady scent of them all, just waiting to be taken home so they could, with their combined powers, make my whole house smell like the North Pole.

What really gets me jonesing for the holidays, though, is the music. Happy is the day (Thanksgiving Day) that Christmas music starts playing non-stop on the radio. I feel pretty confident in saying I have known all the words to probably every Christmas song ever made since I was in elementary school. 

I say pretty confident because up until a few years ago, I sincerely thought that the line in "Have A Holly, Jolly Christmas" (as performed in the Christmas claymation classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer), "Ho, ho, the mistletoe, hung where you can see..." was "hum where you can't sing." I will not, Burl Ives. I will sing FULL VOICE, 'cause I know the words.

Even though the sole purpose for which I have radio is this non-stop Christmas music season, I do occasionally have to turn that biz down; like when Trans-Siberian Orchestra comes on.

I like instrumental music--particularly strings. I am a sucker for strings. I also like the electric guitar. When I'm not listening to Christmas music, I listen to classic rock. But for the collective love of Pete and Mike, DON'T COMBINE THE TWO. 

I'm a purist, see. It's like Crystal Lite. If I want water, I'll drink water; if I want juice, I'll have some juice-- you know, whole-hog style. Don't come at me with this watered-down or flavored-up garbage because I'm sure to be disappointed one way or the other.

And so, TSO gets turned almost all the way down, and Karen Carpenter gets turned off completely, immediately, every time, no questions asked. I just hate her, inexplicably. Not Karen Carpenter the person, mind you-- I'm sure she was a lovely human being and it's unfortunate that she died as a result of anorexia; I'm talking  Karen Carpenter the singer. I just don't like her voice.

But with all the turkey, pine tree, egg nog, holiday music excitement, it's important to remember the REAL Reason for the season. As the Bean says,"Oh, and it's Jesus's birthday!" I hope in the hustle and bustle of last-minute preparations, that the Saviour isn't an after-thought for us. I hope that we take the time to slow down and really put forth the effort to make Christ an active part of our festivities, the center of our Christmas holiday.