Christmas in November?

I am normally very anti-Christmas before Thanksgiving.  Forget shopping early.  Thanksgiving is the oft forgotten holiday, crammed between the sugar rush of Halloween and the joy that is the month of December. I honestly don't even like to think about Christmas until I've enjoyed turkey day filled with family, friends, amazing Southern food and of course, football. 

But this year is different.  We moved into our house four days before Christmas last year and pretty much just skipped the holiday all together.  The tree did go up in the front window.  I think the kids may have even stuck a couple of ornaments on it, but honestly, none of us really cared.  We were too emotionally and physically exhausted.  Cross country moves are tough on everyone anytime of the year, but holidays can really complicate things.  I think most of us cried our way through the whole season.  Thankfully we managed to at least get the kitchen unpacked enough to prepare our annual appetizer fest on Christmas Eve.  My kids would not have forgiven me for skipping that one.  Keeping our favorite tradition added a sense of normalcy to a tough month. 

Fast forward 11 months and Emma and I are chomping at the bit to start decorating!  We put up the outside lights this weekend.  Don't worry...we're not turning them on.  That would just be wrong.  But we did have an unusually warm couple of days so we decided to take advantage of it before it gets cold next week.  Hubby is out of town and will be SHOCKED to see what we got done.  Let me just say my teenage boys ROCK!  For my friends with little ones, the lack of sleep will all be worth it when they can climb on the roof and put up your Christmas lights all by themselves!

As awesome as my kids are, they drew the line at any other Christmas festivities prior to Thanksgiving.  So the tree and all the trimmings will stay in the garage another few weeks while the excitement builds.  But the Christmas music...well that's another story.