Cheer

I've been accused of being a scrooge towards the tail end of November. I have rules about welcoming in the Christmas Season. The biggie? No Christmas music until after Thanksgiving. The purpose of this rule is twofold. One, to make sure that Thanksgiving gets some stage time. I've always hated that the day after the Fourth of July the Halloween decor goes on sale, and on November first, department stores bust out the ornaments, fake snow and reindeer sweaters.

No.

I refuse to be suckered into holiday commercialism. Turkey day is a special day and not only because stuffing is wonderful or because pumpkin pie is akin to manna. I love it not only because it's a holiday about remembering to be grateful, but because it means I get to be surrounded by the people who mean the most to me. That, is worth having a rule.

And two, if we sang Christmas songs 365 days a year, not only would they completely lose their charm and cheer, but I think we would all hate them. Honestly, I can barely take Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer for 31 days, let alone nearly twelve times that many.

I would argue that I am the antithesis of a scrooge. I love cheer as much as the next Christmas Elf, I just keep it special and apart from the every day gladness. My efforts stem from nothing more than wishing to maintain the novelty and uniqueness that graces our days during December.

Last night we went up to Salt Lake to welcome in the Holidays. BrightBoy and I met up with Dental Cousin and the rest of her family to see this guy perform at the Gateway. The concert was fun and festive and it preluded the lighting of the tree. Possibly the most hilarious part of the night was the enthusiasm the family had for these 3D-type glasses that made the lights look like snowflakes, stars, or snowmen. As soon as you got over how absolutely ridiculous you looked walking around downtown with paper glasses on your face, it really did lend to a lighthearted and Christmassy mood. Chippy was my special pal for the first half of the night and might I say that we made a stunning pair.

The concert was followed by dinner with OlderAndWiserToo, her good friend FancyFeet and FancyFeet's highschool romance AutoCharm. The three of the them were hysterical to be around. After dinner we headed to the Temple to see the lights and participate in the "Salt Lake Tradition" (as coined by FancyFeet).


We said goodbye to the delightsome trio on the corner of 2nd North and West Temple and BrightBoy and I headed to the car. We took a detour to walk around the State Capitol Building and I was overcome with such a feeling of gratitude and patriotism while I looked at that majestic building. I couldn't have planned a better night filled with light and love. I can't wait for the holidays to get into full swing (when finals are over) and to have nothing to impede my time with those I love to be around the very most.