Monday, November 14, 2011

Thoughts on upcoming holidays

Mind you, I like Christmas. Unlike some of the nuts in this country, I do not think it is endangered.

But I do not understand why not one, but two, of my local radio stations have decided to start playing nothing but Christmas music before Thanksgiving and through the duration of 2011.

I mean, there are only so many times you can hear "Jingle Bells" or "Feliz Navidad" without wanting to bump yourself off, right? Or is it just me?

It must not just be me because another local station has started running in-house ads that say, "We think holiday music should be played when the holidays arrive. Not before."

I have to say, however, that each year the thing I truly relish the most about the holidays - second to the mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, biscuits and pumpkin pie - is the fact that, being an adult (biologically, if not intellectually), I get to decide who I spend the holidays with.

Didn't you hate that as a kid? There was always some relative who was cranky, or someone who toldyou that you had to wait to eat dessert until long past the time you were dying to go home.

Not in my house! We invite whoever we want, don't invite the people we dislike, and eat dessert whenever we damn well please.


That usually makes for happy holidays.




21 comments:

G. B. Miller said...

A couple of thoughts:

1) If you're forced to listen to Chrismash muzak, then please gravitate towards college radio, where they play holiday music when the holiday pops up and the holiday music that they play you will not hear on commercial radio. I've heard some of the best traditional and non-traditional Christmas music on college radio and it will be my saving grace for this year.

2) Because the store I do my weekly grocery shopping at is doing what you blogged about, I am left with no other alternative than to explore YouTube for some of the best anti-Christmas music known to man.

Should you need an antidote, there are multiple versions of "Father Christmas" out there.

Logical Libby said...

Right now I am thinking the holidays on a desert island would be best...

Anonymous said...

God I do hate Christmas music. Everything except for the Playboy versions of course. =D Those are just so interesting.

I was on the bus the other day and they had the radio on (yeah, the place I live, that's allowed) and they had these massive speakers fixed in the bus right? I have this app on my phone which can play your songs over the radio if you can tune into the right frequency. And I made 'em blast out Rage Against The Machine. They prolly thought the speakers were possessed or summat.

Christmas is optional for me - being an atheist, I get to celebrate whatever I want, if and when I want to. =p

Riot Kitty said...

G: I know, I know! It's a conspiracy. I already get it at stores, etc. I will check out your Youtube suggestion.
L: That would be perfect! And much warmer and sunnier than here.
FF: THANK YOU! So do I, except for the Charlie Brown Christmas CD and The Nutcracker. Awesome about the bus ;)

LL Cool Joe said...

Radio stations here in the UK don't play Christmas until about 2 weeks before Christmas. Shame I can't say the same thing about shops!

I do see both sets of family on Christmas and Boxing day, more out of duty than anything else. I can't live with the guilt of leaving my parents on their own on Christmas day. something that obviously doesn't bother my brother though!

Granny Annie said...

Our Christmas and Thanksgiving were always wonderful at the homes of either set of grandparents or when both sets came to our home. We were richly blessed to avoid family squabbles that I hear of so often.

Shionge said...

I get pretty 'nervous' when it is Xmas coz I know I have not completed my shopping list yet :D

I am not a fan of xmas songs :*)

Ileana said...

Christmas ads have been on TV since last week (I know you don't watch TV and I'll watch the occasional show). It's annoying...but not as bad as a full Christmas a week or two BEFORE Thanksgiving.

Like you, I'm keeping the season honest once again. I like you, I see you; I don't like you, stay home! Sounds mean, but I don't have the time or energy for nasty.

Ileana said...

*full Christmas song*

skyewriter said...

I loved this, Riot. So true: we can say when and when... and when we have dessert as chronological adults :).

X-mases around the skyewriter house have been pretty low key since '08. Our two cats (got them September '09) are unstoppable when it comes to anything vertical... we've not decorated for two years. It's kind of nice in some ways because in the house---no x-mas--- out of the house, more Christmas than Santa could wave his bowl full 'o jelly at. In--- noneya. Out--- bows, fake snow, and Sale! Sale! Sale! signs in every inch on vision. It's nice to close the door and shut it out but I am missing it a bit and look in my blog's archives at the pix I took with a smidge of longing...

Hope all is well!

Riot Kitty said...

Joey: It's difficult being the dutiful kid, isn't it? My dad's in the same situation, even though geographically he is the farthest away.
GA: That's fantastic. Can you adopt me? :)
S: It's not mean. It is one of the things I love most about being an adult.
Skye: Thanks! I know what you mean about the felines...for years we could not even put ribbon or bows on presents because we had an otherwise intelligent cat that would eat them. We also had a cat that was dumb enough to eat the fake tree needles, so that was the end of that tradition.

Lynn said...

Someone seriously took their cat to see Santa??? :)

I like the sound of your holidays, RK.

And I don't like those stations that have all Christmas music either. I avoid them.

And yesterday, the chiropractor down the street decorated their building all up for Christmas already!!! That's just madness.

Other than that - I am looking forward to the holidays. I especially like putting my wreath on the front door the day after Thanksgiving. It has little white lights in it - I love going out after dark and seeing my lit up wreath glowing on my door.

(Having computer issues at home and catching up on blog posts today - sorry to be late.)

Claire said...

I'm listening to Christmas music right now.

Heh.

Cxx

Riot Kitty said...

L: Apparently! I laughed my butt off when I saw that lolcat.
C: Bwahahaha! My word verification is "onort." That's about the sound that I made just now when I read your comment :)

A Beer for the Shower said...

I was always entertained by my drunk uncle Dave, who for some reason always went on and on about who drank all the eggnog. There never was any eggnog. Just Captain Morgan and drunk Uncle Dave. Merry Pre-Christmas!

Riot Kitty said...

ABFTS: That is hilarious!

Darth Weasel said...

" mean, there are only so many times you can hear "Jingle Bells" or "Feliz Navidad" without wanting to bump yourself off, right? "

Exactly. There are maybe ten listenable songs...and since nobody plays "I Want a Hippopotamus" nearly enough, that reduces the number to 3. Which get played repetitively until you are sick of them you never want to hear them again.

And that is just the first day...

Riot Kitty said...

Darth: Exactly! Feliz Navidad. :)

Green Tea said...

Oh Kitty we are Soul mates :)
We eat buffet style and the desserts are right there with everything else.
If that's all anyone wants to eat, I say go for it.
As for Christmas music, I positively hate having to listen to it when i am shopping and think it should be outlawed until at least the week before Christmas.
I also hate the fact that msome of my crazy neighbors already have there Christmas Decorations up. I wish they would at least wait till after Thanksgiving.

Green Tea said...

I need to proof read before I post :0

Riot Kitty said...

GT: I think we are! Invite me to your house for Thanksgiving? :0