Workin on it

It seems to me that a lot of people have this magical relationship with Christmas. These are the people who get giddy when they hear "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" playing at the mall on Halloween, or who put up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving. (I break out in hives at exposure to anything Christmas-related before Thanksgiving's over.)  These are the people who cannot wait to bake and ice three dozen sugar cookies for the office party. (I stress out that there won't be enough and that my decorations will look lame.)

A friend of mine once announced, in November, "Christmas is coming and I can't wait!" I think she has what these other people have: The Christmas Chip. 

Now, don't get me wrong, I like Christmas just fine. In fact, I love a lot of stuff about Christmas. But I don't have the chip. My first reaction to "Christmas is coming" is not "I can't wait," but something more like "Didn't we just do Christmas?" 

I've learned that, just like non-frizzy hair, lipstick-free teeth, and my savings account, cultivating the Christmas spirit is a part of life that may come naturally to others but I have to work at. 

Over the years I've identified these as some of the necessary steps to activating my Christmassy side: 

Drink eggnog (the real kind, with the real stuff in it) 

Send cards

Knit gifts

Drink Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride Celestial Seasoning's Tea

Hear "Baby It's Cold Outside"

Hear Vince Guaraldi

Weep at the end of A Christmas Carol (the one with George C. Scott, which is the best ever)

And, this morning, a new step I've discovered that may help--Christmas Krampus! I think I've briefly heard a little about Krampus but I didn't really know much until I stumbled across an article this morning. Krampus is pretty much St. Nick's evil sidekick: A EUROPEAN HORNED GOAT-LOOKING FANGY DEMON THAT KIDNAPS BAD KIDS AND SPANKS THEM WITH SWITCHES! Now that says "holiday spirit" to me! 

If you're a weirdo like me who has just discovered that terror is a necessary step in getting Christmassy, you might like this very cool vintage Krampus card collection: 

I can't decide which is my favorite Krampus. Maybe the one at the end in the tux and monocle. I mean, just because you're terrorizing 5 year olds into peeing their pants doesn't mean you can't do it with some class.