a little holiday inspiration

I know, I know, already into the whole holiday decor thing...and here I am always saying how ridiculous it is that everyone always seems to entirely skip Thanksgiving and move right on to Christmas the day after halloween. Slap me if you'd like to. But I can't quite help this...I saw these pictures and got that 'ooooo, pretty!'. Holiday decorating has just always supplied me with this cozy, warm feeling inside. The, 'sitting by the crackling fire with a good novel and a flannel blanket over you as snow falls gently to the frozen, still ground outside' feeling. I love that feeling.

'christmas time is not even almost here, happiness and cheer...'

about the end of every september something happens...I look out the window one morning as I'm reluctantly dragging myself out of bed and notice this silver shimmery stuff all over the grass...one would usually think, 'hmm, looks like I need to break out the fleece sweaters and gloves..." my first thought: "I CAN LISTEN TO CHRISTMAS MUSIC NOW!" my view is that christmas music becomes legal after the first frost. however, I'm not perfect...I have stepped beyond those boundaries and listened to it a little beforehand, usually in an absence of people that might feel it's their job to point out that I'm crazy for listening to christmas music during - september... but the first frost has come, so on comes all those songs with the constant little bells in the background :) while we're on the topic of christmas though... when I was little I'd get so so so excited about it. I still do. I'd read all these picture books about little girls in the great depression making little presents out of paper and yarn and sticks, and then look at it as my responsibility to do the same thing. the inspiration would usually wear off...but I do love making gifts for people. It makes me feel accomplished and dignified for some reason...even if the gift recievers are left with little idea of what exactly they're supposed to do with whatever I made them... the one thing about christmas I don't like though is that once it's over, you're stuck with those awful two to three months of slushy, cold, wetness. you can't really listen to christmas music because it's already gone by, you no longer have a reason to go on spending sprees, your house doesn't have red and green everywhere, no christmas tree in the living room, and now you just want to break out the tank tops and shorts again. funny how that works. but you still gotta love christmas. well, so ends my early, before thanksgiving tribute to christmas. :]