It’s that time of year again… the holidays are coming! Cue Game of Thrones joke here.
It doesn’t take long for the holiday spirit to strike. And once it strikes, it’s contagious. I might have already started playing some Christmas music around my apartment, even though there’s still another week until Thanksgiving. Last week I bought a little 4-foot, light-up tree from Michael’s for a nice touch of holiday cheer; here’s to hoping Maggie Kitty doesn’t tear it up!
And everyone is just super happy and excited once the holiday season kicks into gear. It’s definitely the best time of the year.
Here are 21 signs the holidays are on their way!
…whether we’re ready for it or not.
1. Stores knock out Halloween stock and replace it with Christmas items and candy (and maybe some Thanksgiving decor) as soon as midnight strikes on November 1st. Or sometimes before Halloween is even over.
2. Every other show on the Food Network is about Thanksgiving dinners and parties and how to entertain your massive family for an entire day and what to do with leftovers.
3. Twinings Christmas Tea is back on shelves (and in my pantry). I found this at World Market the other day and I bought two boxes. And I will probably go back for a third later this week. Gotta stock up, you know.
4. Everything is red, green, gold, silver, dark red or orange… for as far as the eye can see.
5. You realize you have to start planning your travel plans for the holidays.
6. Your entire Pinterest home page becomes flooded with every single cookie recipe and decor tips and cake decorating tutorial that you could ever need.
7. …which them prompts the purchase of several holiday cookie cutters.
8. Cranberry ginger ale is also back on shelves (and my pantry), too.
9. Stores start carrying ugly or tacky Christmas sweaters, knowing that people will buy them for holiday parties.
10. Christmas music starts playing on the radio before Thanksgiving.
11. “Wonderful Christmastime” is played every third song. As is “Last Christmas.” As is “All I Want for Christmas is You.”
12. Starbucks’ red cups come back. And green cups this year, too.
13. Starbucks’ winter/holiday drinks return and knock PSLs out of the spotlight (thank God).
14. A Charlie Brown Christmas airs on TV, sometimes before we turn the calendars to December.
15. Ditto for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman. And I watch them every time.
16. I start gathering my winter essentials, even though winter won’t even be here for another month. Gotta be prepared, y’all.
17. Coffee Mate’s holiday coffee creamers come back. Hi peppermint mocha and gingerbread.
18. Reindeer antlers and noses start appearing as car decorations… much to my chagrin. Seriously whose idea was that?
19. I break out my cheesy, $5 light-up decorations I grabbed at Target three years ago.
20. Speaking of Target, they release their annual holiday mug collection, and I fight the urge to purchase one every time I go there. It’s harder than it sounds.
21. The Hershey Kisses “bells” commercial starts airing on TV again. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Watch it here. It’s my favorite holiday commercial ever made.
Although they tend to come around earlier and earlier every year, no one can deny the excitement and happiness the holidays bring with them.
What are your favorite things about the holiday season? How can you tell the holidays are coming?
