Is it Christmas season yet?

I usually roll my eyes over the too-early advent of major holidays, but this year, I have been hearing Christmas music in my head since October or earlier. I know it's insane, but there it is.

So... I am working ahead for Christmas this year. I've worked out a list, a rough budget. I've started buying things for baking and seasonal greetings things (like stamps for cards). I am actually working ahead! Weee!

I'm doing the FlyLady thing, making my lists and buying a few more items each time I am out to spread out the cost. There was even some fairly large bill that is not due until mid January that we've already paid this month, to avoid piling on to the already impressive list of non-holiday bills due in January. We are trying to ease the pain of expenses coming all at once, and reducing stress overall.

The only rough spot is looking at our budget for gifts and charitable giving. The last few years, we have tried to give as much charitable gifts as we do to our family, spreading our gifts around to include more people who don't have as much to begin with. But the total can burst up to the top of the scale very quickly.

At the moment, at our (realistic) budget, we have about $15 per person (since we have a pretty good sized family). If we wanted to raise the total, we'd be up to ... uh $20. That doesn't include things like truffles that family members love to get in their stockings. (It's not like they can't go buy their own truffles, but they seem to taste better when they are given, and it's an easy way for me to make lots of people very happy. :)) Some years I have done things like construct fruit & cheese baskets.

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I am feeling ambitious about baking this year, too. My plan is to make more varieties of cookies, but a smaller batch of each kind. Otherwise, we end up with tons of cookies that we feel obligated to eat, and no, we don't want to eat that many cookies in one month!

Also, I hope to do a cookie exchange with some of my friends. (That's fun!) I also like to get in a baking visit with my sisters. I think my youngest niece is about old enough to decorate cookies this year--glee!!! I also like to include a few things that I can mail to far-away cousins.

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And of course, I loooove my Christmas music. I have a collection that ranges from the Vienna Boys Choir to the Roches, the Peanuts Special to early medieval carols to the Karl Luboff Choir. A little Celtic, a little jazz, a little Patsy & Elmo (of Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer fame). I have some Windham Hill Christmas collections on tape that are just lovely, and too many more to count unless I want to type a freakin list.

It's one of my favorite parts of the season.

I also like to add a CD or two to my collection every year... if I can find something I actually like. I have all kinds of funky options on the list, a carry-over from a place I used to work where the bosses had extensive and eclectic music collection. So these days, I search for the Christmas albums from the Modern Mandolin Quartet, and Blue Hawaii (Christmas on the Big Island), and The Squirrel Nut Zippers (what's that up there on the roof?!), maybe some Amy Grant.

But regardless, I am restraining myself for at least a couple more weeks before I break out my tunes.

Here's a question, if it doesn't make you burst out in hives. What's your favorite Christmas music to enjoy next month? Reverential or raucous, peppy rock 'n' roll or antique motets? Or all of the above? What's dear to your heart?

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