Stop creeping up on me like that!

Why are the holidays being so sneaky this year? Wasn't it just Halloween? How is it possible that Christmas is less than two weeks away??

Is it age that makes time seem to go by faster? Or is it the weather being warmer that has duped me? I have noticed from writing this blog, actually, that weather is kind of like a default excuse for me. Though I should certainly add that I have no idea how you do it, fair weather friends. If it's not bitterly cold outside, hopefully with some white stuff accumulated somewhere, how does Santa know where to find you?

Speaking of, I'm 96% certain that Santa drove by me in Natick, Massachusetts this morning. Along the famous marathon route, as a matter of fact. Although he was definitely not running. It's not the time of year for him to be focused on fitness. He and his fluffy white beard and joyous countenance drove by me in a Jeep Cherokee-like vehicle. It was so convincing that I even looked in my mirrors to catch a glimpse of the back of his car and he had Christmas stickers on his bumper! Could the North Pole just be an alibi location?

Anyway, my apologies for the abundance of question marks present in this post. In related holiday news, I finally put my tree up Saturday. There are even white lights on my stair banister. There's something very warm about Christmas lights that is both exciting and calming at the same time. It makes me want to drink hot chocolate, which I have yet to have this season. Dunkin Donuts is selling a mint hot chocolate this year and I'm waiting for a special occasion to indulge.

At lunch today, we were talking about why Christmas is the season of mint. I am not a huge mint flavor fan year round but in December, if you put crushed candy canes on something, it makes it 15 times more tasty and valuable. We even have some peppermint ice cream in the freezer, a most decadent treat. But unlike the delectable Cadbury mini eggs that are so precious because they can only be found around Easter and in limited supplies even then, we can get our hands on peppermint all the time so why is it so hyped up in December? I move that we incorporate it into celebrations all year long.