My Favorite Christmas Songs

When I was a kid the unwritten rule in our home was that Christmas music could only be played after Thanksgiving. Once Halloween was over and the only candy remaining were the dregs which consisted of Bit-O-Honey bars, candy corn and popcorn balls - my thoughts would turn to Christmas music.

The days leading up to Thanksgiving could not pass quickly enough. Most years I would give up on waiting and dig through the box of record albums to sort out my Christmas favorites.

Then, the clandestine Christmas music operation would begin. While my mom was out shopping and my dad was still at work I would put on my favorite albums and listen with delight until I spotted my mom pulling in the drive.

I would quickly put turn off the record player and hide the Christmas albums at the bottom of the stack. It didn't always go to plan. Some years I was caught breaking the unwritten rule. There wasn't really any punishment - just a sigh and roll of the eyes by my mom.

I have been a Christmas music junkie ever since.