....Kansas City - I'll Be There .....

I am glancing out the window while my fingers stumble across the key board. There's not even a sliver of snow left in the overhang's shadow. Blades of green grass poke up between the crumbly golden leaves carpeting the yard. The sky is bright blue. the air outside is rather cold, with no promise of snow to blanket the lingering fall weather. Sound's like Christmas, doesn't it? "It's Christmas in Kansas City....Yeah, it's Christmas everywhere...." To my local readers: is a schmaltzy melody whirling through your head about now? Sorry. Well, not really - if I have to have this tune invading my thoughts, so do you! "...And the Plaza lights are looking pretty...." Ryan, this song goes out to you! (To fully appreciate this sappiness, you must hear a recording, which I am unsuccessfully attempting to track down over the Internet. I will share the yuletide joy when/if I find it.)

I see Christmas lights twinkling from rooftops, decorated trees sparkling in windows, wreaths gracing front doors. But none of this is happening at my house yet. I still have a Halloween mat on my front stoop! I think maybe I'm just feeling kind of overwhelmed - I have to put away autumn before I can put up Christmas. (Actually, one thing that keeps guilt from overtaking me is knowing that my Christmas decorations will probably still be up well into January. ;))

My goal is turn our home into a version of wonderland before the coming weekend is finished. Emi will gleefully begin arranging nativities in several rooms, but she'll quickly end up playing with at least one of them, adding her dollhouse people, barbies and accessories to the fray. But she'll be having a ball! And since, as far as I know, Annie hasn't kicked anyone in the head today, I might even let her help!