need a little christmas, right this very minute

There's leftover Halloween candy in the kitchen, and we're barely into double-digit dates in November...but I'm already jonesing for Christmas.

My spirits are in need of a major boost, and I'm throwing myself into the holidays this year. As a child I loved Christmas, but in 1990 everything went seriously downhill...and soon thereafter obligation replaced simplicity, with joy pretty much nowhere to be found. In recent years I've been lucky enough to be around people who really love Christmas, enough so to help me finally dig myself out of that hole.

It's cliche, but you could say it's like I'm experiencing it for the first time. We went to Target tonight, where I turned into a child again, in awe of the lights, sparkly tinsel trees, and baubles of all sizes. And yeah, half of it's crap, but an explosion of Christmas nonetheless. I had to keep myself from buying everything I saw.

Surprisingly Thanksgiving never fell victim to my holiday disdain, which makes it doubly enjoyable this year -- and the perfect start to a (hopefully) rediscovered holiday season.

tonight's dinner

• Roasted sweet potatoes in a honey-lemon glaze (slight reworking of this recipe, with the addition of fresh ground cinnamon and grey salt)
• Baby lambchops with Loveless Cafe dry rub
• Green beans for color

The cure for my Sunday delirium? Cooking. Added bonus: the house smells like Thanksgiving, lulling me to much-needed sleep.

And after a whirlwind weekend I'm ready for the week ahead.