Bring it on!

While those of you south of the 49th parallel tend to hold off the Christmas season until after Thanksgiving (isn’t that this week?), we have to fend off holiday decorations starting now before Halloween. Remembrance Day (November 11) is about as long as we can hold off the official launch of our holiday frenzy.

By household decree, I’m not allowed to put up the tree until after Beloved’s birthday on December 4, but I’ve managed to sneak up the house lights (new LED lights this year!), and yesterday was the Santa Claus Parade.

The boys seemed to have a good time at the parade yesterday. We opted for the big one downtown because the weather was holding and our trio of runny noses seemed benign. We were late arriving to the parade route, partly because I forgot to build in an extra 20 minutes (I wish I were exaggerating) to get the boys into ski pants, boots, hats, mitts and the whole winter gear deal. Since we were already late, of course we couldn’t find a parking spot closer than three blocks from the parade route. After an almost-sprint down Fourth Avenue, yanking a wagon with about 100 lbs of boy behind me, we made it just in time to hear the sirens and horns of the leading motorcycle police just a few blocks away.

We made it, though, and the boys said they had a good time. Tristan tends to the stoic sometimes, and even though he watched most of the parade with serious contemplation, he insisted he was having a good time. Simon was not impressed with the clowns, the sirens, and any loud noises, and asked to be held aloft for far longer than my aching arms could comply, but both were finally moved to smiles by lollipops and candy canes.

In the evening, we snuggled in and watched both The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas on the VCR. Once upon a time, I said I didn’t want to get those particular specials on tape, because the magic of happening to catch them on broadcast television made them that much more precious. I was, of course, wrong.

Watching the Grinch and a Charlie Brown Christmas with my boys for the first time was what made it magical. I’m ready for Christmas now – bring it on!

(We’ve also made it more than half way through November, and National Blog Post Month. Posting each weekday has been a breeze, but coming up with something to write about at 8 pm on a Sunday night is stretching me to creative capacity!! If you want to reward my tenacity, if not my creativity, you can always toss me a vote at the Canadian Blog Awards. /hint)

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