Behind

I'd like to point out that it isn't even December yet. That I still have turkey leftovers in my fridge and they are in good shape. That even though Williams-Sonoma wants to give me a heart attack, it is still November and I really don't accept the fact that I am behind.

Except I know I am.

How does everyone do it? How do you flick the Holiday Switch on? I feel like it was only days ago that I was traipsing around the city as one-fourth ABBA, and the next thing I know my a cappella group is standing in front of a Christmas tree in a mall singing Do You Hear What I Hear? for bored and hungry people waiting for their tables at the TGIRubyChiliBees next door.

I mean, as fun as the mall-singing was (and it actually was, I felt like I was in grade school again!), I do not feel the Holiday Spirit yet.

Instead, I hear the music at the grocery store (Is there anything more cliched and pathetic than buying frozen Lean Cuisine pizzas at a discount grocery store while Feliz Navidad plays in the background? No. No, there is not.) and see the lights on the streets and jingling commercials on television and know there are eggnog lattes out there waiting for me, but I'm just not ready. I refuse to believe that there are only like, 20-some shopping days left until Christmas. That just can't be right, can it?

Over the weekend I begrudgingly pulled my Christmas Decorations Box out of my closet and re-assembled my fake tree from last year and got as far as sitting both of them on my desk in my bedroom. They remain there, laughing at me.

The tree, I should note, came with pre-strung lights, and even though it took me the better part of a half-hour to get it standing upright despite that it's only 3 feet tall and I HAD A FRIEND HELPING ME, for some reason only the bottom half of the tree will light. Ish tried to fix the problem last night and nearly electrocuted himself. I figure at this point I have two options -- un-pre-string the tree of its lights and use my own (which will, I'm certain, take a good two hours at the least), or go buy another altogether. It was only $20.

I suppose option three would be to put all the Christmas stuff back in the closet and pretend it doesn't exist, which is really what I'm leaning towards.

It's not that I don't like the holiday season. I do. I like singing and mingling and festiv-ing and eating and drinking and making merry. I love shopping for my family and -- well, I don't like the traveling part -- then seeing my family and being back east where there is real winter weather.

I just wish that would all start in about another month.

Comments

  1. K,

    I had this feeling about 3 weeks ago when I accidently turned on KOIT 96.5 and heard "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree". I was like, "Fer Christ's Sake! It's NOT EVEN Thanksgiving yet!!!" Then I walked into Walgreens and there were Halloween costumes on one side of the aisle and Christmas stockings on the other.

    I love Christmas, too. It's my favorite holiday and winter is my favorite time of year, but the commercialization of the season makes me cringe and want to hide under the covers until after Valentine's Day.

    At least you have caroling...I miss caroling. Oh, but the Eggnog lattes, they're worth venturing out for.

    ~Erica

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  2. I'm finding it surprisingly easy to get into the holiday spirit this year. It probably helps that my son runs up to our undecorated-but-lighted Christmas tree every 10 minutes and exclaims, "Mama, what a nice tree we have!" and tells me every day that it's Christmas today. Otherwise, I'd probably be a big ol' bah humbug.

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  3. Can't stand xmas music. With the exception of the Charlie Brown Christmas Album. *That* I can enjoy.

    I can't put up a tree because of the kitten. Not even going to bother with lights. Because of the kitten.

    Actually, cats are a great excuse to not decorate. :)

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  4. Alicia, my wife suggested putting up a Christmas tree specifically FOR our cats and decorating it entirely with catnip toys. A motion-activated video camera could capture the ensuing hilarity.

    Unfortunately, we are both incredibly lazy, so none of this will actually happen.

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  5. don't let any of it fool you. amazon says:

    (direct quote) "want it by dec. 22? 17 days left for free super saver shipping
    21 days left for two-day shipping"

    17 days! and they will still send you stuff for free. and the amazon is the big gorilla that has everything. williams sonoma, go pound sand!

    (maybe just string a new set of lights on the tree and leave the old? or do they show too much? i haven't managed to put up decorations for a single holiday this year. until i have kids, i say bah as well... at least a little bah!)

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  6. ericha - i have not had one sip of eggnog yet. i sort of feel like the least i can do is wait for december 1. then it's ON.

    lisa - i fully expect my holiday cheeriness to change when i am near (or have) kids to enjoy it with. yay for your son! he sounds adorable. :)

    alica - diana krall singing "christmas time is here" is pretty sweet. i totally dig it.

    sam - your second sentence made me laugh aloud.

    melissa - AMAZON LIES. i'm going to repost from last year now... :)

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  7. Mine did the SAME THING!

    I went through all the lightbulbs and pushed them into the sockets. One of them was loose, which is why it wouldn't light. I'm sure you've tried that, but that's how I fixed mine.

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  8. i am SO with you on this.

    it doesn't help that christmas decor started showing up at costco in AUGUST.

    fer cryin' out loud...

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  9. I'm with you. I want to go knock on all my neighbors doors and say "Did you look at the date lately? It's still NOVEMBER!"

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  10. I know. Hard to believe you can be behind in Christmas shopping while it's still November.

    I love your tree! That's the way to go, the three foot variety. We go for the real kind (being in Oregon it's easy, and affordable) but it's a friggin mess. Smells good, but a total pain in the ass.

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  11. Hi. Like everyone else, I'm with ya - I know that some years you just don't want to do it. I think it's funny that I suddenly had the switch flip to "on" after 3 years of not caring that October turned to November to December and kept hoping I could just hibernate until spring and miss it all.

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  12. I really hate all xmas music, exept "grandma got ran over by a rain deer". deb

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