You Know the Holidays Are Getting Closer...

Anticipation is at a fever pitch in our household.  Which means my son can barely contain himself because Halloween is just a week and a half away.  (That is if nature allows us to have one this year).  In reality, Halloween starts next Sunday when he is allowed to wear his costume to church and the Sunday School has a Halloween party after services.  (For anyone who says Halloween is not for church, I say nuts to you.  With all of the crazy weather we've had over the past two years, the only place my son has truly been able to celebrate the holiday with other kids is at the church.  I am so grateful that our Christian Education team have taken the time and initiative to make it special for all the kids of all ages.  Of course the adults love it too...where else can you see little kids whacking a mummy pinata and NOT being able to get it open???).

The leaves in NJ are turning beautiful shades of yellow, orange and red.  It makes it a pleasure to drive anywhere during the day as there is always so much color to behold.  Sadly, I know that by the time Halloween does arrive most of the colors will have faded and the streets and sidewalks will be full of damp, brown leaves.

Our front yard and the yards of our neighbors are full of Halloween decorations.  Some are spooky.  Some are scary.  And some are just a wonderful celebration of the autumn with pumpkins, mums and scarecrows galore.  How can you not get excited with all of this surrounding us??

I, of course, am also thinking of the other forthcoming holidays.  I'm trying NOT to rush them along, but you know that I can't.  The advertisements are already pushing us past Thanksgiving and into Christmas. The newest Halloween TV special was last Wednesday and while I really enjoyed Toy Story of Terror (there is most much from Pixar that I don't enjoy), I don't see why it had to air two week before the actual day of Halloween.   But perhaps by the 31st of October all the decorations will be down and the holiday lights of Christmas will start to appear around town. And I know by the first of November the Hallmark Channel will start with it's holiday movies, aimed directly at saps like me.

Being how it is so close to Halloween and knowing that autumn can be incredibly unpredictable (Can anyone say Superstorm Sandy?), I dug out my pruning shears and got to work on my front bushes.  I let them overgrow during the summer as they would shade the front of the house from the sun and the heat.  However, now I WANT the sun in my house as the days grow shorter and colder.  Today was the perfect day to do so as it wasn't too hot (at least until I started working) and the sun was shining.

Besides trying to get some additional sunlight in the house, the purpose for my work was to make a clear path to the front of our house.  In our family, it is tradition to put the holiday lights up after Thanksgiving (either Friday or Saturday).  This requires my husband to get behind the bushes with a ladder.  Last year, on Thanksgiving (for some unknown reason), he went outside to check things out in anticipation of putting up the holiday lights the next day.  He announced that there was no way he could get the lights up with the bushes as overgrown as they were.  Hence I spent a hour Thanksgiving afternoon hacking away at the bushes.  This year I decided to be prepared.

But I do think I went a bit overboard.  When clippers didn't work, I moved on to some serious shear and then went as far as to get a pruning saw!  The bushes didn't know what hit them.  (Although my muscles WILL know what I did tomorrow morning).  There will be no problem getting a ladder behind the bushes this year!

So while the lawn is ready for trick or treaters, the bushes are ready for Christmas.  So bring on the holidays, but keep away the foul weather!