Okay, so it's November 7th and I've been decking the halls all week. Okay, not literally. I have not put up one Christmas decoration. Then again, I really don't need to. I have over 200 Christmas figures from the 1940s-1960s in a cabinet in my office. Any time I need a bit of holiday cheer, I just gaze into my cabinet and sigh. But it takes a bit more than that to get me into the holiday swing, so I've been listening to Christmas music and watching Christmas movies. Okay, I've been watching ONE Christmas movie: The Santa Clause.
Because it is so early in the holiday season (although the grocery store started hauling in the decorations back in mid-October, later than usual, I might add), I've spared my hubby from listening to the Christmas CDs with singing. But the instrumental CDs have been going for about two weeks. (I'm allowed to play the others as of Thanksgiving.)
Several years ago, I bought a piano CD from Target that I really loved. (To tell you the truth, I'm surprised it's not worn out.) I decided to buy as many piano CDs as I could after that, so now I've got quite a repertoire, for just about every occasion (and I got a bunch of them at The Dollar Tree). I've got piano music to read by. Piano music to sleep by. Piano music with rain in the background. Piano music with birds cawing. Still, I like my Christmas piano CDs the best.
I watched (or rather listened--I was busy on the computer during) The Santa Clause twice this week. My husband had been out doing an errand, walked into his office (without seeing the TV in mine next door), heard one line of obscure dialogue and said, "Are you watching The Santa Clause AGAIN?" Well, I couldn't lie. There was the evidence (the empty DVD cover) sitting on top of my printer.
I'd never been a Tim Allen fan (couldn't stand his TV show), but I love this movie. The story of how the love of a little boy turns a not-so-great Dad into Santa. Sniff. (Did I mention that I love sappy stuff like that?)
I've got seven more weeks of the Christmas season left to keep enjoying movies (hey, I've still got The Santa Clause II and III to go through, Elf, A Christmas Story, Polar Express, White Christmas, Charlie Brown Christmas and Rudolph, too), CDs, and did I mention the 30 or more coffee table and recipe books I have based on the season?
Okay, I'm a glutten for all things Christmas. How about you?
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15 comments:
I'm with you, I love to watch "The Santa Clause" and Claus II wasn't bad and III was okay. Still the first is always the best. I guess my next favorite would be Bishop's Wife (love Cary Grant) and then White Christmas. In general I tend to watch more of the old Christmas movies, but some of the new ones are good too. I'll have to start checking my local Dollar Tree (don't have a Target nearby) for those piano CDs, they sound great.
I've never seen "Holiday Inn" with Bing Crosby. I've got to hunt down a copy this year. I'd forgotten about the Bishop's Wife, and have seen it quite a few times. A bunch of my Christmas movies are VHS -- now to upgrade to DVD (and then I guess I'll have to upgrade to something else a few years from now, eh?). Oh, and how could I forget "It's A Wonderful Life." By the end of that movie, I'm a blubbering mass of tears.
(Don'tcha just love it?)
We were SO separated at birth! I adore Christmas music - my favs being Manheim Steamroller, Noel by Josh Groban, and the David Foster CD. Now I'll have to run out and get a piano mix.
MY favorite Christmas movie is the Grinch, followed by Christmas Story, but the animated Little Drummer Boy will reduce me to a pool of tears every time!
This weekend, I am doing "attic review." This means: what excuse can I come up with to buy more decorations at Target?"
Let the season begin!!!
Yup, Mannheim Steamroller is already on the playlist, and even though there's a little singing on it, so is "A Charlie Brown Christmas." (Love that Vince Guaraldi on piano!)
A local radio station has been playing Christmas music for a week now and I'm tuning in. I love Christmas music. My favorite song (right now) is the Christmas Canon. And it's not Christmas season unless I watch Miracle on 34th Street.
Miracle on 34th Street is my Mum's favorite movie! My favorite Christmas tune is Silver Bells. I think I have at least eight different versions of it by various artists. (I ought to put them all on one CD. That ought to drive hubby right up the wall!)
I love, love Christmas music and generally start listening to it Thanksgiving week. I found the Christmas CD with Dean Martin and the holiday doesn't begin until I hear it flowing through my place.
My favorite music that pauses me to stop and listen is "Carol of the Bells."
As for movies, Miracle on 34th Street, Holiday Inn are some of my favorites.
Lorna you are so right about having to change from VHS to DVD and in a few years (which seems likes months) we'll have to change to something else. I had forgotten to mention It's a Wonderful Life. I saw it on DVD this past week and it had a silver bell ornament as a bonus with the purchase. What about Holiday Affair?
there's a Christmas CD with Dean Martin? I must find it!!!
I just had to retire my VHS today, I think the kids shoved one too many things in it.
regarding Christmas- I have to watch: White Christmas, A Garfield Christmas Special, Elf, and The Night They Saved Christmas.
I'm beyond excited that this year will be the first year I can possibly get a REAL Christmas tree instead of my gram's tinsel tree (you know, those silvery ones from the 70's).
From age 6 to 18, my family had a silver tree, with all blue glass balls and the "reflector" (light with 4 colors) shining on it from below. (My mother was terrified of a tree going up in flames and this was her compromise.) My younger brother (2 years younger than me) still says it isn't Christmas without a silver tree. His wife won't let him have one. I told him he should put it up in his workshop where she won't see it.
Hobby Lobby started putting out their Christmas decorations Labor Day weekend!
I am a Christmas fanatic. Love it, love it, love it! Decorating, shopping, baking, wrapping gifts, the music; it's all great! My husband thinks I am nutso, of course. My Christmas cards are ready to mail now and I'm working on finalizing details for our annual open house, which is always the first Saturday evening in December.
As for Christmas movies, gotta go with Home Alone, The Santa Clause, and Elf! And I love the song "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer"! I know that should be a sad thing, but for some reason that song always make me laugh! "Feliz Navidad", "Away in a Manger", and "Do You Hear What I Hear" are good ones, too.
Hope everyone enjoys their holidays to the max! I plan to!
What great comments. Now I'm officially in the holiday spirit and heading for the attic to pull out music. I have to try those piano cds, too!
Katie, the one I have which I love, love, love is "Making Spirits Bright" by Dean Martin.
We've always made a big deal with Christmas in our family---music, decorations, cooking & baking. Since three of my four daughters will be coming home to Colorado for Christmas this year, I get to pull out the boxes of holiday decorations and have at it. But not yet. I don't like to rush the holiday. I wait until Thanksgiving to start playing Christmas music and decorating. So this year I'll get to bring out all those precious homemade decorations I made with the girls when they were little. We've got boxes of things.
And---the food. Oh, yeah. Christmas is the time of the year when I make all those tempting and fattening holiday treats. Yum. Ohhhh, and my favorite smell is still the aroma of a fresh evergreen tree in the living room. Love that scent. And over the years I've collected several favorite CDs. Two of them are from the 80's and they're still the best collection of Christmas carols and songs I've ever found. Time-Life Christmas Collection, I think it was called. Can't find it exactly like that anymore. The girls love it. Plus other CDs of carols and instrumental music. One is a gorgeous Celtic Christmas with voice and harp. Lush, lush. I still cry at The Carol of the Birds. Medieval Christmas melodies and to-die-for beautiful.
I like the Santa Clause movies, too. And, I can't tell you how many times I watch "White Christmas" (Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye) and "Mrs. Santa Claus" (Angela Lansbury).
Christmas music is great, too. My favorite is "Christmas Eve in Washington" by Maura Sullivan. It's about DC (where I work) and for some reason, I always get this big lump in my throat when I hear it.
This year will be the first time in ten years that I'll be able to be with my family (in Iowa) for Christmas. The past few years, I've had to work so I'm really looking forward to spending time with family. My niece just had her third child (boy) in September and my cousin welcomed her first grandchild May 2008. It will be great seeing the new members of the family.
May we watch all the Christmas movies, listen to all the music, and eat all the cookies we can!!!
Shirley in Baltimore
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