Christmastime, sans pumpkin
Christmas is upon us.
This is a statement not predicated on the time of year or specific date. Rather, I say that Christmas is upon us because my favorite radio station has started playing nothing but Christmas music. Thank goodness, I was starting to worry that Christmas would never officially come due to a critical shortage of Christmas music airtime on oldies radio stations. Whew. I’m so glad that is not going to happen.
(Because apparently, there is a shortage of pumpkin this year, so many were thinking about canceling the Holidays. Apparently, there was a series of Unfortunate Events and Floods that resulted in a low pumpkin harvest, which means LESS CANNED PUMPKIN. Let’s all remember that PRE-MASHED CANNED PUMPKIN is a key ingredient in pumpkin pie. It was on the Sacramento news and everything. HOW CAN SACRAMENTO HAVE CHRISTMAS WITHOUT PUMPKIN PIE?)
(Answer: It can’t.)
(There seemed to be plenty of pumpkins when I was paying $10 for one to carve up for Halloween. I’m just sayin’)
Whenever I hear Christmas music on the radio, I always flash to that scene in Sleepless in Seattle where Meg Ryan is in the car singing along to “Jingle Bells.” I hold that scene as the standard of what singing along to holiday music should be like: ridiculous and alone in a 1990 Honda. Meg is horribly off-tune and off-beat and I try to emulate her exact tone whenever possible… “Horses… horses… HORSES!” I suggest running out and watching that movie immediately.
When I worked at a home for developmentally disabled adults, we listed to Christmas music year round. Sadly, I did not get tired of it, and at times it was better than endless John Denver CDs. And it was WORLDS better than Sharon, Lois and Bram-style kid’s music.
I look forward to this time of year from about January 3rd of each year, and the closer Thanksgiving gets the more excited I become. I will admit that I am a sentimental person, and this time of year was designed for saps like myself. And I buy into it – why not? Life is just a little bit happier around this time, and the music a little worse. I’ll take it.