Scrooge No More

I just came back inside after round one of shoveling our first major snowfall of the season. Lucky me, it was the heavy wet stuff, but hey -- I didn't get to the gym today, so I can use the exercise.

The shoveling got me to thinking, and I just figured out my issue. Or at least one of them.

Every year, I treasure the Christmas season. It's a very special time, and I love it. However, I'm also one of those people who does not want Christmas to drag on too long or infringe on any other season's joys.

Once we hit the Sunday after Thanksgiving, I'm ready to start Christmas. The decorations can come out. I'm willing to buy a tree (although we're rarely, if ever, that organized). I'm way into my Christmas baking. And I've got the Christmas station programmed in my car.

This year though, I had no interest in listening to Christmas music at all. It just didn't feel like Christmas, and I was sooooo not in the mood. I wasn't sure why, but one day last week, I found myself turning on the Christmas station on my way to drop the wee ones at school. Apparently the Christmas spirit was back.

However, by the time I got in the car again that afternoon, I had apparently lost my Christmas spirit because I couldn't stand to listen to the music anymore. What gives?

Today, I finally turned the Christmas station back on -- although admittedly I had to flip between a couple because I didn't like what was playing on one or the other at times.

Any ideas what changed?

Ummm yeah... how does that classic song go? "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere we go...." Apparently all I needed was a little snow. That first day I listened to Christmas music? We had a dusting of snow that melted mostly off mid-morning. Ohhhh (the lightbulb goes on). And today? More snow. In fact, we're forecast eight to eleven inches.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

So how many of you now have those songs going through your head? Sorry. Sorta.

And a Merry SITSmas to all!