It's Time (if not now, then when?)

As I was hanging my Christmas lights along my pine and spruce trees, my next door neighbor came out of her house and asked, "Is it that time already?" I had the lights lit so that I could see where I needed more and where I needed to move wires. For my neighbor, it's still Halloween. Her deflated ghost balloons hang lifelessly from branches, plywood graves still stand in her front yard, spotting her green grass. Though it is only mid-November, in just two weeks Thanksgiving will come and the weather will, undoubtedly, be colder. I hang my lights on a warm day, but I don't light them until the night after Thanksgiving. I think this makes perfect sense.


And while I fear for the turkey's figurative life, as Claus and his parade of Christmas orderlies tromp all over this quickly dwindling, if not politically incorrect holiday, I do understand the desire to put Christmas decorations up early.


It's dark here on the East Coast at 4:30 p.m. Skies are grey, and the chill in the air bites without apology. We need something to lift our spirits, and those bright lights and sparkly decorations are like the dinner bell for Pavlov's dogs.  My darling friend, Karen T., already has her Christmas tree up. Denville Library's giant conifer is lit. In Boonton, Santaland is up and ready for (at least) outdoor visitors; Santa won't be there until he's paraded in on a fire truck Thanksgiving weekend. 


I am sort of chomping at the bit to decorate for Christmas, not to rush the holiday but because I have some great handmade fabric Christmas banners that I recently got on etsy. I'm excited to hang them. They are available at Funky Junky Art, and my purchased banners were the last of the Christmas banner listings. You can see the harvest version (and maybe even request a special order of your own) by clicking here. For now, I have my pine cone swag decorating my fireplace mantel, a few gold turkeys on display, and some harvest color flower bouquets out on tables. I'm looking at this time as a small respite from major decorations overwhelming my otherwise unburdened little Cape.


And here's your last minute reminder to get going on your holiday cards. Mine have been addressed, sealed and stamped for over a month now; I've just been waiting for stamps. I needn't wait any longer. Holiday stamps are already available on line; I am not sure if they are in the post office yet, but I'd bet that they are. This year, I am going with the style, Holiday Evergreens (which, by the way, are Forever stamps). In years past, I have used the Madonna and child stamps, and then something non-religious for those who aren't Christian. I don't know if they just didn't issue a new Madonna stamp, or if its the same one as last year, but it just isn't working for me. Next week, I will buy and stamp all hundred of them, and just wait to drop them in the mailbox on Thanksgiving morning.


Finally, in my attempt to help you embrace (not erase) Thanksgiving, I will be blogging about Thanksgiving dinner and dessert, and will share with you two cool recipes I saw on today's episode of Ten Dollar Dinners. I will be making them for W and the kids over the Thanksgiving weekend.