According to PNC Financial Service Group buying each item needed for the "12 Days of Christmas" would set you back almost 19 thousand dollars! And its wages that help to raise the cost over last year. With the Lords-A-Leaping, Ladies Dancing and Pipers piping costing the most. Sadly those Maids-a-Milking are still making minimum wage ($5.15 per hour).

The 9 Ladies Dancing would be the priciest item at $4,759. Even the pear tree has gone up. $129.99 compared to $89.99 last year. I guess they don’t know about the fall seasonal sales on trees and shrubs at our local nurseries!

Here’s some holiday interest:
According to a recent poll of 1000 adults, when asked the question - Would you prefer stores to show signs saying “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays”?…

Sixty-nine percent (69%) of Americans prefer stores to use the phrase “Merry Christmas” in their seasonal advertising rather than the generic “Happy Holidays.” A Rasmussen Reports survey of 1,000 adults finds that just 23% prefer the “Happy Holidays” greeting.

source: National Poll: "Merry Christmas" vs "Happy Holidays"

Now that the Christmas season is in high gear – we are surrounded by holiday music. Its everywhere – on the radio, in the stores, in the offices, just everywhere. Now I love most Christmas music. I’d play it all the time if it wasn’t for those party poopers the Ho Ho Homies bitchen and moaning all the time.

But I have to point out the worst, most horrible, the most treacle Christmas song ever forced upon the human ear. The other day I had just finished too much Christmas shopping and had just gotten in car and turned on the radio. And there it was – the most obscene, the most vile Christmas song of them all. Its what I have come to call – the Dead Mommy song. I honestly don’t know the name because I turn the channel every time it comes on. But the song is about some poor kid who is buying shoes for his dying mother and doesn’t have enough money to pay for them!?!?! And momma needs these new shoes because she’s “gonna meet Jesus tonight“!? Just so absurd. And bizarre. And it seems to be sung by some male country singer. How did this ever become a holiday standard? I mean last year it was played so much I swore I would never to listen to it again. Luckily I have lots of good Christmas and holiday music to play all day long and never think about this mess again.

Just dreadful.

Charles Schulz (cartoonist-Peanuts)
One of America’s most influential cartoonists, Schulz is most famous for his comic strip “Peanuts” and its beloved characters including Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Pig Pen and of course Snoopy.

Along with the comic strip Schulz also created 2 of the best television holiday specials ever – “A Charlie Brown Christmas ” and “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown”. In fact ” A Charlie Brown Christmas” will be shown this Tuesday Nov. 28, at 8pm/ET on ABC.

Today is a special day for us “Charlie Browniacs” and join us as we celebrate with a little music, specifically what has become the signature tune of the Peanuts TV specials – “Linus and Lucy.” Here is a nice interpretation of the tune by the group The Divine Comedy. I found this on Youtube. Enjoy.

Links:
Snoopy.com (official Peanuts website)
Charles Schulz / Snoopy’s Home
Wikipedia: Charles M. Schulz

Black Friday
Sales! Sales! Sales! I’m going shopping. Bye!