Hauling Out The Holly & Filling Up The Stocking

Haul out the holly.

Put up the tree before my spirit falls again.

Fill up the stocking,

I may be rushing things, but deck the halls again now.

For we need a little Christmas right this very minute.

If you watch, listen or read the news on a somewhat daily basis than you know if ever we needed a little Christmas it’s right now. What is happening around us every day is often truly depressing and while we can’t hide under the covers and ignore what is happening we can try and escape it if only for a brief period.

Everyone has their own definition of what Christmas is all about and to me it’s not about the day but the season which separates it from other great holidays like Thanksgiving and the 4^th of July.  Those are fun-filled days often loaded with tradition but it’s pretty much a one-and-done thing.

For some diehards the Christmas season begins the day after Halloween and while that’s a bit early I do understand why.  Regardless of what’s going on around us we need and deserve some joy in our lives and for many this time of year allows just that.

Many take great pride in the decorating of their homes, both inside and out and while those large inflatables on front lawns are not for me they are indeed festive.  Then there is the real Christmas tree and from the time I was growing up it always had to be a real tree, one that offered the smell that indeed let you know it was Christmas.

In full disclosure we are talking about maybe purchasing an artificial one at the end of the season but the jury is still out on that.

For some reason and I don’t know exactly why I’ve grown to like the holiday season a bit more in recent years.  That may be partly due to my near obsession with the Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel. (That is channels because there are actually two to choose from)

I’m even okay with the Christmas music we have been playing 24/7 on WOBM FM because like I said at the top we need a little Christmas right this very minute.  However I could do without Dominick the Donkey and for what it’s worth my favorite holiday songs are “All I Want for Christmas is You,” “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” and “The Christmas Song.”

Tomorrow I’ll look at my favorite Christmas movies...ones that are not on the Hallmark Channels.