Holiday Preview

I become annoyed whenever I'm in a retail store before Halloween and see all sorts of Christmas merchandise.  Happens earlier every year, it seems.  However, I don't mind at all when the kids begin practicing the music for their winter concerts.  Today I was treated to Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree and Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town on the clarinet.  The arrangements alternated between melody and harmony because Son #1 is a "clarinet one" instead of a "clarinet two" which is most prestigious for a seventh grader, or so he says, and all the other seventh graders are in the "clarinet two" section.  OK aren't we glad we know all that?  Anyway, I sang along to both songs as I was working in the kitchen.  I didn't sing along to Carol of the Bells because I didn't quite recall all the words and it's kind of monotonous anyhow.  I am now reminded that I have to begin making lists for holiday shopping (we do both Hanukkah and Christmas in our house).  Arggh!