Theme Dressing

It's that time of year. The ridiculous sweaters and sweatshirts are coming out of the mothballs. Pumpkins and other Halloween things are adorning various articles of clothing. I ran a couple of errands yesterday and they were everywhere. Sunglasses are recommended.

Next up: The Christmas sweaters. Some are gaudy. Some are quite beautiful. Some are stupid. Some have bells on them so the person jingles when she walks. Ear plugs are recommended.

In the interest of full disclosure, I admit it. I own some of these items. I have a black jacket with pumpkins, witches, bright-colored leaves, etc. on it. A few years ago, I wore it to church and when I came home, Big Daddy said to me, "Don't you think it's wrong to wear a jacket with witches on it to a worship service?" Ooops!

I still own a couple of Christmas sweaters. They're in my cedar chest and they haven't participated in the holidays for a while. I have a couple of Christmas sweatshirts and I usually unearth them when I'm decorating the tree or wrapping gifts. They don't get to go out of the house but they do make me a little cheery. It's a ritual. Kind of like Brenda Lee's, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree.

I own a pair of jingle bell earrings. They give me a headache but I think they're funny so I wear them once a season. Grab your ear plugs if you see me headed toward you.

Beyond dressing a person, some people have theme costumes for their pets. Okay, okay, Gabby has a Santa hat. She only wears it on Christmas Eve. She does not own a Halloween costume.

I also own a sweater set (black, of course) that has a repetitive theme of champagne toasts. I wear it every New Year's Eve. I think it's tasteful but I suspect some of my friends are laughing behind my back.

It's okay to make fun of these costumes. I'm still a (closet) member of the club.

Television

Ok, I admit it. I love television. My day is a little off if I don't start it with The Today Show. It doesn't matter what's on during the day -- it's just background noise -- although my friend Abby has convinced me that the cooking channel is fun to have on for ambience. I think it's supposed to make you hungry or make you want to cook. It has the opposite effect on me. If the food starts to gag me, I switch to CNN or MSNBC.

I'm an "early to bed, early to rise" person so I can't get into those shows that start at 10pm. Even if I Tivo them, I don't find the time to watch them. (But my local news comes on at 4:30 A.M. amd most of the time, I'm there watching.)

This week started the new season. I must limit myself to a few shows. I'll test some of the new ones and I'll stick with my faves:

Grey's Anatomy (but I'm also going to give Private Practice a chance.)
Desperate Housewives (It's lame, but I'm addicted.)
Brothers & Sisters
Dancing with the Stars

Dancing with the Stars is one of the few shows the husband and I enjoy together. (Well, except for those Court TV docudramas where someone murders a spouse and tries to get away with it.)

The mother-in-law loves it too. She's on her trip and probably not watching it. I miss her running commentary. I wish she could be like Endora on Bewitched and just pop in when I want her here. She loves the dancing and gets riled up at the skimpy costumes.

The husband accuses me of watching soap operas. Not true. But I do love it when I can take a break at 4:00P.M. and watch Oprah. Sometimes the mother-in-law watches it with me. She gets riled up over some of the topics. It's a show within a show.