Bring On The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

With October behind us, we can now charge towards Thanksgiving and Christmas at full speed.  Sure some retailers have been flaunting turkeys and Santa alongside Halloween candy but now that the later is relegated to the sale bins, we can focus our energies on what I consider to be the real end of year holidays.  It now feels acceptable to open the holiday editions of my favorite culinary magazines that have been filling my mailbox for months.  My oven is beginning to work overtime as pumpkins that were once destined for jack-o-lanterns can now be turned into pies, breads, and other delectable treats.  Air conditioning has been swapped for heat and skimpy warm weather clothing exchanged for cozy sweaters.  The days are shorter, Daylight Savings Time ended in Europe last week with the States falling back early tomorrow morning, but for me the early darkness just makes me more productive.  (After all it feels as though I have even less time to get more accomplished).  Colorful foliage is giving way to bare trees that have their own special winter beauty and cooler air hints at the real possibility of snowflakes.  People are more generous with their time, energies, and money as charities ask for donations to assist those in need.   How can anyone argue with this?  I'm pouring over my cookbooks and planning my Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner menus, digging out my sweaters, and plotting my holiday gift giving strategy.  In case you can't tell, I love this time of year and the next few weeks promise to be my favorite ones of the entire year.

And yes, because it is November it is NaBloPoMo, the month where aspiring bloggers are encouraged to write each and every day.  I've dabbled with NaBloPoMo over the course of the past year with some months being more successful than others but this November I'm recommitting to the effort.  So from now until the end of the month, look for a daily update either on this blog or my second blog dedicated to my culinary exploits.  That's thirty entries in thirty days but I can do it.  After all, this is my favorite time of year so I'm sure to have a lot to talk about.