Fa-la-la-la-la

I’m beginning to feel in full on Christmas mode.

I’ve begun amassing the various ingredients for the Christmas fudge I make every year and for those cookies that only show up for a few days during this season before they are devoured. They last about as long as snowflakes caught on our tongues. I’m giving boxes of truffles to my co-workers so those ingredients are stacked on the kitchen counters, too, waiting to be turned into rich, decadent chocolate truffles rolled in cocoa or micro-shredded chocolate pieces.

The very small towns through which I drive to and from work have brought out their party clothes. Store doorways are decorated with evergreen roping and large angels, candy canes, candles and tin soldiers all made from different colored weather-resistant illuminated garlands hang from the light poles. I can’t say I’m enamored of the blow up plastic figures which seem to be in vogue now and which are tethered in every third yard, but they are eye-catching if nothing else. What I like are the lights. Colored lights or white wrapping trees, edging rooflines, surrounding yards and bringing soft luminescence to the dark.

Then there is the soundtrack to this time of year. Stores, malls, radio stations, television commercials all piping Christmas carols into the ether. Twice on my way through the grocery store yesterday I heard people who were stocking the shelves singing aloud and along with the carols. I left them to it since they could sing and I, alas, cannot, but it made me smile and I turned up the volume on my own internal singing. Life would be greatly improved if we had our own soundtrack and since I’m not of the ipod generation, this is the only time of year when I get that wish.

Bring it on.