We dont get trick or treaters so Halloween is a thing in our past, I'm sorry to say. We'll be out of town this year at Thanksgiving so i HAVE to start thinking about it.

Besides, its only 86 here today with a breeze and this morning it was 59 degrees......!thats Fall, ya'll

With the high temps and humidity we've had lately I'm afraid we'll miss much of Fall (my favorite season) and go right into Winter.

Count me among those who has not yet begun to think of Christmas. But happy for those who like to get a jump start ;)

We're lucky to see fall temps by mid October. Keeping my fingers crossed cause it sure isn't in the immediate forecast.

Good for you KSWL! I did some Christmas shopping while at a convention today. It's never too early to pick things up as I go along my merry way. I just logged on to shop for silk scarves that I saw at a crafts fair 2 weekends ago. This artist makes all her own clothing and scarves:

http://www.mijizaimages.com/

I absolutely hate last minute frenzied shopping.

I wish I still enjoyed Christmas decorating .. or winter decorating. I get a real kick out of hearing about your preparations, Kswl-- but it is completely vicarious. I have finally accepted that I am perfectly ok with just a few wreaths and poinsettias-- and now a menorah. I am passing along ornaments and decorations to nieces and nephews and donating my tree.

That said, I am fully embracing fall/winter in my own way lol-- I've started cooking fall food for the freezers!

Well, at the big used book sale yesterday I did get two Christmas CDs: Jimmy Buffet, and the Canadian Tenors. Such a dilemma: I love Christmas music, and have a lot of it. I love the old traditionals but get a little tired of them and want something new, but I don't like the new because I can't sing along with it yet, so...Hoping that "Ho Ho Ho and a bottle of Rhum" and "Never Far From Home" will be keepers. Of course, I can't listen to them yet! Not till after Thanksgiving!

Is this just about holiday shopping? If it includes anything, then I just bought my first long sleeve top.

I bought my first jug of apple cider :)

I would say that definitely qualifies, ellendi!

Funky, have you converted religions? I love Hannukah and like the fact that in Judaism m, a lot of religious celebration takes place in the home.

Bpathome, last year I bought a couple of new Christmas CDs, I like to add a few to my collection each year. Christmas at Downton Abbey is lovely, and I also bought a compilation of modern songs called Cool Yule. Last spring when searching for Scottish and Irish music for a party I came across the James Galway Christmas cd which is absolutely beautiful, and A Scottish Christmas with Bonnie Rideout and Maggie Sansone, also brilliant if you like that kind of music. Year before last I added Wintersong but Sarah McLachlan, one of the best Christmas CDs I've heard in awhile----not new then but new to me. It's a tad melancholy which is different, but in a good way.

You might like the George Winston cd called December, it's all piano music and came out decades ago but is still one of our favorites, right up there with the Nutcracker. This year I also bought Seth McFarlane's 2014 Christmas album, which is very fun and lounge-y and upbeat. And last year I also got Advent at Ephesus, beautiful music sung by nuns in the Midwest somewhere, I believe. Of course we have all the Time Life compilations and a the Royal College of Music Choir CDs and the Cambridge Singers, and everyone from Perry Como to Pavarrotti. I have about 500 songs in my 2015 playlist and another 200 or so that aren't rotating in this year. When I read that it sounds like a bit of of a problem, doesn't it??

Cindy? What happened in Tiger Stadium? It's only about an hour from me, it's been colder and raining here but nothing too terrible.

Love Wintersong. My favorite song is River. Haven't listened to December in a long time. I used to love playing the Christmas CDs, but for some reason didn't play a single one last Christmas. Maybe someone should start a thread for favorite Christmas albums.

Lukk, Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. Hot and humid.

Not thinking decor, but stocking up on the sales for presents!

Amck and Cindy, for some reason i "remember" the seasons in my childhood as marching dutifully round the calendar with very regular lengths and appropriate temps. I am beginning to wonder if i am remembering our school projects and bulleton boards and artwork announcing each season instead...maybe seeing a snowman on the bulletin board convinced me at the time that it was cold? And yet, i have pictures of our family going to parties with just sweaters and no coats. The more i read about how memories are created and retrieved the less i believe in my own.

Regardless, it IS hard to get Christmassy in 92 degrees!

Bonnie ann thise scarves are lovely, some of them look like watercolors!

Dee, heat up that cider with a clove and stick of cinnamon and a slug of spiced rum :-)

Cindy mac River is my absolute favorite song on that CD! I could listen to her all day.

Suzi, i need to start thinking about gifts as well. I have a "no mall" policy and TRY to get presents from local stores or onlne. Its difficult!

No, no! I didnt convert... I was raised catholic and the bf was raised Jewish. He is not living here FT yet but he's here for a month or so over the holidays. He keeps some of the Jewish traditions to honor his parents (who are no longer living). We kind of have the best of both worlds! We celebrate Hanukkah with his family -- and Christmas with mine. We do both Christmas stocking and Hanukkah gifts... and he's 100% on board with Christmas cookies!

We had a small menorah the last few years but this year, I have my eye on a special one.

Love Christmas music.. we should do a thread closer to December! I'd love to make a playlist.

Ugh. Stop. I drove by a farm stand with a lot of pumpkins today and almost stopped, but I'm not even ready for pumpkins yet!

Pumpkin. Metal for outdoors. Went to an outdoor art show today and couldn't resist. I love Halloween even if we don't have trick or treaters. I will put it out by the front gate for our neighbors to enjoy.

I love autumn, but it's still in the 80's and humid this week. Ready for some cooler temps. Not ready to start thinking about Christmas, but we have already started rehearsing Christmas choral music for our big production. My 'favorite' cd usually ends up being my practice cd. But I do love George Winston. I think I have that December cd somewhere.

Kwsl, thanks for mentioning George Winston's December album - I love GW and have to dig out the one's I have in hopes I also have that one. Thanks! I am not ready for thinking about Christmas, but admit the other day I was wondering where to put my tree in this new place. Hmmmm so I guess I'm guilty.

My car thermometer said 99F this afternoon ... so still Summer in my neck of the woods!

We're trying to sort out our holiday travel plans -- does that count? So many moving parts. The penciled in plan as of today is driving from here to Arkansas to see some of DH's family. From there to FL panhandle to see my dad and stepmom. Back up to Alabama to see friends and DH's kids for Christmas Eve. Drive all day Christmas to Austin for Christmas weekend with my brother's wife's big brood. Of course all that can be derailed by my brass quintet having a Christmas Eve gig, my mom refusing to fly to TX on her own (plan is for her to fly down and ride back with us) which would leave her alone at Christmas, or Dad deciding at the last minute to make the TX trip (eliminates the FL leg).

it will be 3,000 miles of driving over 9-10 days.

Oh, but DH ordered our piñon firewood today -- does that count?

I think about Christmas all year long because it is one of my favorite (and busiest) times of the year. My travel reservations are all made and most of my presents are purchased. Now, I have to finalize recipes for my annual party here and decide which theme I'm going to use for decorations. My favorite Christmas store is opening on October 7. I can't wait to see how they decorate although the last few years have been sort of disappointing.

Jakabedy....that sounds ghastly. How can you hope to enjoy the holidays in a car?? I hope your brass quintet does get a gig! Our choral society's christmas concert features a brass quintet of attorneys by day, musicians by night. They accompany us on several pieces and have their own set----they are a HUGE hit year after year. Brass instruments lend themselves to so many different types of music! Outside, we are singing Saint-Saens' Christmas Oratorio this year, among other things.

Funky, i have often secretly envied people in households that are equal opportunity celebrators :-)

Sueb, oddly enough i have the same reaction to pumpkins!

Grammarows, you are welcome! I do love Christmas music of all types. I still have Alvin and the Chipmunks' Christmas Dont Be Late; that was the very first record i ever owned, a 78.

Chispa, ouch, that is HOT.

Fun2bhere, you have already bought your gifts?? OMG you are ON it!

Kwsl, I DO have December! Got it in the early 80s I think--It's on cassette. Went to see his concert, too. Now I have the CD. It's lovely. Other favorites are Charlie Brown Christmas, Silently the Snow Falls (guitar with flute, cello, and dulcimer), Jim Brickman, Trout Fishing in America's Merry Fishes (especially "Snow Day" and "Snow is Falling", which aren't Christmas songs but seasonal just the same) and a Jonathan Coulton song, Merry Christmas from the Andersens, which cracks me up.

I went shopping for fall themed table items today. Guess I have spent too much time in fabric and craft stores because I figured I was way behind. Turns out they were just starting to put stuff out

"Heart of the City" comic says it best today..Christmas has arrived in many stores. If it is there, people will buy!! I am SATURATED with Christmas decor so spend a lot of time telling myself NO when something catches me eye. I have a few stocking stuffers holed away..and I have a plan for a gift for #1 son...but that is as far as I have gotten.

I bought the album Silently the Snow Falls on iTunes this morning, thank you for that recommendation, Bpathome!

I'm surprised you didn't find what you were looking for, Kippy, some of the smaller stores here have had fall stuff put since the dog days of August. Surely they won't wait much longer?

At World Market they had pumpkin bakers online, but I wanted to see the green one in person. For all of the fall displays they just had the corporate lay out fliers taped to the displays. When I asked the manager type person, i got a rather snotty reply about how they had 20 pallets of products to unload and their stock people don't work weekends so come back later. Considering online they are pushing the product, I would have thought I they would have been bothered to put it out in the store too. From the reply I got it is not her priority. They had the Halloween stuff out

Apples from a local orchard. I don't even want to talk about Christmas, snow, or cold temperatures!

i had my sis buy battery operated candles for our windows last winter during a good post Christmas sale near where they live... I decided candles in the windows would look very nice with our current house and didn't have any...

she visited in july and brought the boxes of candles- it felt like Christmas in july - literally!

every single year Christmas seems to sneak up on me and I always feel like I'm really rushing and harried as the season approaches. I hate that feeling!! I am determined to get to cards, decorating, baking and shopping earlier this year!! so, I have started thinking about Christmas gifts a little bit... and how I might approach decorations this year... i think i'll make a timeline list--- that might help me get everything done with time to spare for relaxing and enjoying the season...

What kind of candles did she get, busy? I've heard about a new kind that look better than the old patently fake ones from the 8o's. Would love to see a picture or get a link.

This was my first almost-Autumn weekend. The weather, as always, was beautiful but the temps were, thankfully, down to the low-80's today and yesterday. DH and I spent yesterday morning at our wonderful NM state fair and the evening attending an outdoor harvest dinner party. How I could possibly think of buying/ordering Christmas gifts today is beyond me . . . but I did! I ordered DD 2 pairs of custom earrings online. It's still technically summer, darn it, but it is also the time every year when I do start doing my online Christmas shopping. I'm so NOT in the mood for it, but for me it's time to start!

Two of my favorite off the beaten track Christmas albums are The Shawn Lee Ping Pong Orchestra for some funky orchestral versions of classics and the Medieval Baebes Mistletoe and Wine for some beautiful harmonies and hymns. If you don't have anything like them in your playlist yet they are well worth checking out!

Not thinking of Christmas yet. Our falls here in Connecticut are magnificent, and I love Thanksgiving best, so I like to squeeze out as much autumnal enjoyment as I can before winter holidays set in. We will be missing family members this Christmas as our sons are now in that stage of life where they have to juggle holiday obligations with in-laws or girlfriends' families too.

Sidetrack here -- Jakabedy, what do you play? My oldest son plays trombone and is currently working on his masters. He's especially excited about his quintet this year.

Last year, both sons played and/or sang Christmas Eve. We had to flip our plans, and I think that may be come the new norm now.

Back to the topic -- I'm working on all things apple and pumpkin now. I have 4 pumpkins (pie, white and fairytale) and will cook them after Halloween (puree for soups, sauces and baking; cubes for other dishes and my lab's favorite treats all year long). Made a pumpkin cranberry cake (still using last year's pumpkin) last night and plan to make an apple pull apart bread and another batch of dog treats next. I'm just enjoying what's hear and now -- not worried about Christmas or even Thanksgiving yet.

I haven't bought anything holiday (or seasonally) related, but HAVE been starting to eye my yarn stash. I have a few UFOs (UnFinished Objects) in my knitting bag that I need to complete, particularly since a couple of them were promised to a friend waaaaaaay back in 2014. I can't bring myself to knit during the heat of summer though, not even if I'm sitting in a nice, cool, air-conditioned room. There's something about the promise of fall that makes the click of the needles start to sound appealing to me again.

Oh -- I have a couple of those. I made my sons each a scarf last year but had trouble starting the matching hat. I need to pull those out and get them done, then I can consider other projects.

LOL! I stopped working on the scarves as promised last year and started making hats and ear warmers instead! ;-)

LOL We could set up shop and turn out matched sets. If I get these hats done, I will probably look in my stash to do more -- both of my sons are in colder areas. One is just north of you -- the other in Pittsburgh. I hope the one in Pittsburgh adjusts to the winter there. Only has to make it through 2 of them, but I suspect a couple more hats couldn't hurt. If nothing else, he may have inherited his father's ability to lose hats or leave them behind.

Well, I hope all you Christmas early birds are happy. The ice cream truck just drove by playing "Joy to the World" and it was not the Three Dog Night version.

LOL we very rarely see an ice cream truck around here -- like once a eyar or less, but a friend shared something on Facebook today about how there should be a truck that goes around the neighborhood delivering margaritas for adults. THAT would get people running out of their houses! LOL

It's usually "It's a Small World." We don't have many kids on our street anymore so I'm surprised he comes around at all. But "Joy to the World"?

What a fabulous idea, lascatx!

Lascatx --

I play French horn. I was a long-time member of a quintet back in B'ham and was fortunate to arrive in Santa Fe just as a quintet here was losing its horn player. We're comprised of an attorney, a HS band director, a retired forest service biologist, a wetlands conservation/restoration consultant, and a technical type who works at Los Alamos labs and can't really tell us what she does for a living (!).

I know your son will enjoy his quintet -- any small ensemble, really. I found that my playing really improved when I joined a quintet some 18 years ago. Having to carry your own part with no section mates to lean on is good experience.

Aviastar, thanks for those recommendations, i bought three or four songs from each of those albums you mentioned. The ping pong orchestra makes god rest ye merry gentlemen sound just like the house of the rising sun :/)

Jakabedy, he has gone to music festivals in the summers and one in particular for the quintet playing for that very reason.

Will have to check out some of the holiday music -- a little later.

Yea, that's the oddest one, kswl! But I really enjoy some of the others, glad you found a few you liked!

Avia, that is one of the songs I bought!