for some reason, i recall last years Christmas season really, really vividly. like it was only last week that it ended. i don't know why.

  I was just talking to someone at work about that.  Like I just took last year's Christmas tree down last month.  The year seems to have flown by fast, probably because of my work schedule...

I think in alot of ways Christmas seems like it's separated by anout 8 months and not a real year. Part of that might be me getting older and experiencing more of them, but it's also largely the saturation of Christmas over a wider span of time. Don't get me wrong, I've always had a soft spot for the holidays, even if the magic they had as a kid isn't quite the same (although I'm sure I'll recreate it with my own kids someday).

That being said, though, one thing that gets quite annoying is how the radio stations play ALL holiday music starting around the middle of November. Does this happen in everyone else's area? What's worse is they pick the soft rock stations, which have the best variety (nowadays they're pretty much just general pop - kinda like what a Hits station was in the '80s and '90s). I could even understand if it were on and off, but it's exclusively Xmas music, which gets annoying. Same for store decorations going up as early as October. I don't think it can really feel like "the Christmas season" until after Thanksgiving at the earliest.

As a result of this overcommercialization, I think some of the meaning of the holiday gets lost, and people also grow sick of it by the time it really rolls around. That's kinda sad really.

There is a station here that has been playing Christmas music since the day after Halloween. I've been listening all month! I've been really anxious for the Christmas season to begin. It means that I'll be done with all my art classes which I've been really struggling with (since I only have them one semester). Christmas break signals the end of my worries about these classes....I'm counting the days until I'm through with them.