post Thanksgiving talk of Christmas

Abstract Tannenbaum, 30 x 22, acrylic on prepared BFK

It was still October when a few of our Portland radio stations started to play Christmas music. I couldn't believe it! Where is the person whose job it is to hold back every mention of Christmas until after Thanksgiving? Slacking off, I tell you.


Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against Christmas music. I even like a lot of it (just look at my drawer full of Christmas books ranging from Handel's "Messiah" to Mannheim Steamroller to David Lanz to Fake books to Vince Guaraldi). But not in October.


Even though I quickly scanned past the Christmas music stations, I was impacted by those fragments of songs I heard. Christmas songs in October. Sheesh. And before I knew it, I was humming those tunes and painting a Christmas tree. Well, sort of a Christmas tree. A weird, Dr Seuss kind of swirly Christmas tree.


And that's okay.

It was inspired by Christmas music in October, so I held off posting it. The way I figure it, even if the person whose job it is to hold back every mention of Christmas until after Thanksgiving was asleep at the wheel, I just couldn't put anything vaguely Christmas like up here on my blog until after Thanksgiving. And here it is. After Thanksgiving.


One of my favorite versions of the timeless song "O Christmas Tree" or, if you prefer the German, "O Tannenbaum"is this one by the Vince Guaraldi Trio.