Christmas has come to town, but not to the radio!

At the risk of sounding like a scrooge, I'm one of those people who doesn't want to have anything to do with Christmas until sometime after Thanksgiving. It isn't that I don't love Christmas, I just don't want to get tired of it all before it actually gets here! As such, I was disappointed to see the amount of Christmas decorations and Christmas music that found it's way into stores around town well before Thanksgiving. But now, Turkey day has come and gone and Christmas can officially take center stage!

In years past, I recall certain radio stations in Central Arkansas switching over to an "All Christmas, All the Time" format soon after Thanksgiving. This is nice if you're out looking at lights or doing some festive shopping, but there are only so many times you can sit through Feliz Navidad when all you really want to hear is the traffic report. This year, I've experienced the exact opposite. There have been several times when I've specifically wanted to hear Christmas music while driving somewhere and have been unable to find any playing on the radio. This is especially unfortunate since I haven't been able to find my special Christmas mix CD made up of all my personal favorites. So instead, I find myself scanning through stations I don't even listen to regularly trying to find someone playing Christmas tunes. If there is a station that has switched over to all Christmas music, I would love to know what it is!

Apart from Christmas music on the radio (don't know what I've got till it's gone), the other usual reminder to me that Christmas is just around the corner is Christmas lights. I don't put lights up on my own house, but I like seeing them around. If your childhood involved having to help someone untangle lights for hours, search for bulbs that had gone out, and steady a ladder until your arms are sore, you probably don't get as excited about Christmas lights as I do. When I was a kid, we never put up our own Christmas lights, but a couple of times in December, my parents would load us up in the car and make us ride around looking at Christmas lights. I think my parent's did this because it was cheaper than taking us all out for ice cream. So now that I'm all grown up, I have fond memories or meandering through neighborhoods looking for Christmas lights. It felt like a treasure hunt voting on which direction to turn at each intersection and feeling the excitement when you turn a corner and see a house completely lit up. A few years ago, I started satisfying this ritual by driving through Sherwood Forest's annual lights display. It isn't quite as adventurous as trying to find the best house displays on your own, but the excitement is a lot more consistent. If you're not familiar with it, Sherwood Forest is hidden away off West Maryland so that you'll never find it by accident, but I think it's worth seeking out. This is especially true since they fit the bill for "cheap entertainment" by not charging a set admission and simply taking donations instead. I always have a few dollars ready for them at the end where they're handing out candy canes and dog biscuits.

Another great place to look at Christmas lights is down at the riverfront amphitheatre. I assume they have lights set up again this year, although I haven't managed to drive by there at night. I usually make up some cocoa ahead of time and find someone special to wander through the lights with. It makes for a nice evening and it's great for getting you in the Christmas spirit.

If you're wondering why I haven't mentioned the light display at Burn's Park, it's because I've never been. Scratch that- I pulled in one time after seeing it from the interstate and found out that there is a per-car fee to drive through. I don't even know what the fee is, but I'm not one to carry cash, so I was out of luck and haven't ever made it back over. If you've been and think it's worth it, tell me about it in the comments. Otherwise, check out Sherwood Forest and drink some cocoa for me!