Hi! Before I begin, I would like to share with you something completely different. This is a short photo-story that I like to call:

My Son and His Cat. The Weirdos.

Ok. Annnnnnd back to our normal programming.

I would not say, normally, that a marriage based on deceit and deception is good. However.

It has to be done.

November 1rst. A day that is the Fall-ey-est of days. There’s leaves everywhere, all willy nilly, and the air has a crispness that makes cheeks red and makes me lie my head off to my husband.

Ok, I’ll explain. After my aforementioned weariness of Halloween, I tend to go a bit overboard on the stuff that follows, and that means CHRISTMAS MUSIC, Y’ALL. ALL DAY, TWENTY-FOUR SEVEN, JOSH GROBAN ALL OVER THE PLACE.

I have twelve Pandora stations for Christmas music. TWELVE. AND A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE.

But… some people in this house (I won’t name names, but he’s the tallest one and he is my husband) are Scroogey about the Christmas music.

“There will be no Christmas music until after Thanksgiving,” he intones, in his Scroogey voice and then he sneered at me, uttering, “ARE THERE NO WORKHOUSES?? ARE THERE NO PRISONS?-”

Oh wait. No, that wasn’t him. That second part. Sorry. But, he might as well have said it because really. Who in their right mind isn’t playing non-stop Christmas music on November 1? Doesn’t everybody?

*crickets*

Huh. Well, I know. It’s still Fall. Just this morning I took  sweet doggie for a walk and we crashed through the leaves with all their crackle and color, and Fall is awesome. I get it. But as for me?

Well, as for me and my house we will enjoy Fall but we will play the Christmas music for as long as we can.

I need it, y’all. I do. I need the chestnuts roasting and Snoopy skating and the deep voice of Josh telling me that he WILL be home for Christmas (by God a woman can dream)… I just do.

I’ll give you my Christmas music when you pry it from my cold, dead hands. And if THAT doesn’t spread some holiday cheer, I don’t know what.

So, I lie. I listen to my festive Pandoras, humming along with Elfen glee, and then as soon as I hear the husband’s entrance I switch it over to his favorite Yanni station and no one is the wiser.

It’s not really lying. It’s just withholding information. This, I think, is a very effective communication tool when dating. But I digress.

It’s also possible that I will be slowwwwly introducing Christmas decorations into the rooms, but Brian doesn’t notice these things. I could set a nativity set on the kitchen table, and if the baby Jesus was next to his beloved Tony C’s container, he would lift up Jesus, grab the spice, and proceed.

Keep Calm and Christmas On, folks.

Disclaimer: I do love Fall. Here are some pictures from my morning walk to prove it.