Edging Closer to Christmas

We had a full-fledged late January day here in mid-December today, complete with all the deep-winter trappings: snow, snow drifts, blowing snow, single-digit Fahrenheit temps, wind that blows only in one direction (toward your face), bright sunshine whose heat you can't feel, ice underfoot that you can't see.

But I'm inching toward a Christmas mood, or at least as much as I get every year. I heard "Little St. Nick" on a non-Christmas music station the other day while driving along and spinning the dial, and I didn't change it. Time to listen to a little Christmas music when it comes my way -- but not time to seek it out just yet. Lilly's been singing "Ding Fries Are Done" at unpredictable moments lately, but I don't count that as Christmas music. Apparently that's been kicking around for a few years, but this is the first I've heard of it. Where would I be without kids to introduce me to bits of pop culture?

She's also been infatuated with the new singing/dancing/pan-winter holiday Gap commercials, instantly visible on YouTube and rumored to be on regular TV as well. They seem to be the company's mocking answer to those who wanted the word "Christmas" explicitly used in Gap commercials because not using the term in your marketing efforts subverts the true meaning of Christmas. Or something along those lines. That might be an example of pretzel logic, but I'm too tired to puzzle it out.