It's beginning to look at lot like Christmas

I remember my first taste of Christmas this year. It happened at the 24-hour Starbucks in Abbotsford, the one near the Sumas boarder crossing. A friend and I sauntered in sometime around 3 or 4am and that's when I entered a zone of sensory overload. They were about half-way done their Christmas decorating. I grabbed the nearest piece of Christmas paraphenalia, an advent calendar, and proceeded to gleefully place it up to my ear and shake it. I could tell by the look on my friends face that what I had just done was, perhaps, not the most socially acceptable thing I had done that night. But I really feel that I could not be held accountable for my actions since I was in shock. It was mid-November!!! Last time I checked Santa didn't come to town until December 1st. So I ordered my reduced fat, extra hot, eggnog latte and my friend received his gingerbread latte. Shortly after we received our festive beverages, my friend thought it would be better to take the drinks back to his house and ushered me out the door. I attribute this to my socially awkward actions with the advent calendar and my state of gleeful shock at Christmas in mid-November. Thank you Starbucks.

Since last week, every 5th or so song on the radio at work is a Christmas song. Some I love and can't get enough of. John Lennon, Happy Christmas (War is Over). Or the ever popular Do They Know It's Christmas Band Aid song. Some annoy me to the point that I can barely function anymore. Yeah, Frosty can just go thumpity-thump-thump it somewhere else, thank you very much. I guess it could be (and will get) worse...we have a holiday station at work. All Christmas, all the time.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Scrooge. I have a special place in my heart for Christmas filled with the likes of the Stanley Park Christmas Train, Away In a Manger and Oh Holy Night, eggnog and spiced rum, snow, ice-skating at Grouse, mittens on strings, apple cider, lights and various other novelties. It's just that this year Christmas, considering it came right after Halloween, has sort of blind-sided me. I have a couple days to get my (Christmas) act together and I think I can pull it off. Someone pass me another non-fat, extra hot, no whip, gingerbread latte please.