Monday, November 10, 2008

Christmas Confession

by Teresa

I have a confession to make.  There are holiday music CDs in the CD player in my car right now.
This represents a 180-degree turn from my attitude on the subject, at Halloween time.  The night of Halloween, after the trick-or-treating was over, when I went to pick up something at my neighborhood CVS, I was appalled to see that most of the Halloween candy and decorations were gone from the middle aisles, and workers were already stocking those shelves with stacks and stacks of candy canes, bags of Christmas candy, and Christmas ornaments.  I was further astonished when I stopped at Wal-Mart the following day, and there was Christmas music playing over the speakers.  On the day after Halloween?  Really?  Isn’t that just a bit too soon to be thinking about the holidays?
Many of our viewers felt it was, indeed, too soon, as we discovered when we posted a “Question of the Day” on turnto10.com asking people to weigh in on a local radio station’s decision to switch over to its “all holiday music, all the time” format.  2,388 people, 87% of those who responded, said it’s too early!  Just 366 people, 13%, thought it was a good time to start listening to Christmas carols.  ( The program director says B101 wants to “spread some cheer” during these tough economic times.  Click here to see more about B101’s Christmas programming. )
I don’t know exactly what happened to change my mind, but a “holiday” sort of mood crept up on me last week. 
I resisted the impulse for a while, but now I am confessing: I have Christmas music turned up nice and loud, and I’m singing along as I drive. 
I watched “Frosty the Snowman” with my kids over the weekend. 
And that’s not all: I also found myself gazing, longingly, at the illuminated reindeer and brightly colored lights on display at various stores.  I’ve found myself wondering how much longer I need to wait before I start decorating.
So, there you have it!  I’m officially in the “holiday spirit.“  Bring on the jingle bells, boughs of holly, and cups of hot chocolate.  I’m ready.