See the New Widget?

My countdown to Halloween--I snagged it from Amanda :)

Shocked that I would be excited about a holiday that gives kids bags of sugar, fake food coloring, high fructose corn syrup and plain old sugar highs? Well, shhhhh.....it's not really about Halloween.  It is really about a deal I made with my family a few years back. See, I love and I do mean LOVE Christmas--the lights, the spirit, the holiday shows and most importantly the music. I love Christmas music. I dare say I may very well have one of the largest Christmas music collections in the world--I have over 30 CDs and 200 or so songs on the Christmas playlist. 

You name the song, odd are I have it. And I love to listen to it all the year long. My husband and kids--not so much. They prefer to keep Christmas in December. I say 'Bah Hambug' to that. Then one day in April a few years back, my daughters begged me to turn off my John Denver Christmas CD when we got to the school parking lot.

"Please, I will die if anyone hears," began the ever socially aware Miley.

Sarah nodded, "Beside, it's Easter time NOT Christmas."

So rather than letting them jump out of the car, I turned it off in favor of the classical radio station.

Once again my own family, the family I feed, clothe and pick up after began the war against my Christmas music.

"When you hear it all the time, it's not special when Christmas comes," the husband begged.

I looked at my family and knew it was time for a compromise. 

"Christmas music is too good to be limited to once a month, "I mumbled as they again said Christmas music should be played in December and December alone.

"Fine," they said. "Could you wait til after Halloween?"

I sighed. That would give me one full month and the family, "Hmmmm...would you complain on November 1?"

"No," they smiled and and agreement was met.

And now the air is a little cooler and fall is here at least in theory. Christmas catalogs are arriving in the mail and I admit I have slipped and played the holiday genre playlist from time to time--I told my children I was merely looking for some Halloween music. Halloween is a holiday, right?! I even tried to explain how spooky the words were--chestnuts roasting over a hot fire while a man named Jack bit your nose.

There was no fooling them and the Christmas music has been banned until Halloween. So now I wait for the day of witches and nasty teeth rotting candy (not that my kids eat that--they gladly give it all away, really. How? That my friends is a post for another day, promise.)

But I just might sneak in one song from that cute Michael Buble Christmas CD when not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse....