Baby, it’s cold outside.

I realized this morning that one of my favorite things about Christmas is the inevitability of hearing a gin-soaked Dean Martin happily slur his way through Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Thanks to satellite radio, my kids have heard every Rat Pack version of Frosty the Snowman ever recorded (including the one where I SWEAR you can hear ice cubes clinking in highball glasses), interspersed with various Boston Pops renditions of Carols No One Ever Actually Sings (seriously, Good King Wenceslas? Too hard to say. Also, was he a real king? I should Google that). At our house, Christmas smells like cinnamon and sounds like a swank cocktail party. Now THAT’S Holiday Cheer.

It’s cold as hell here today; in the time it took us to eat breakfast, the temperature dropped from 60 to 46, and it’s still dropping. I sent the kids to school in multiple layers of cotton and fleece, which was weird because just YESTERDAY they wore shorts and tee shirts. Of course, just yesterday it was in the mid-70s here. Sheesh.

Charlie somehow managed, during a fall where the average temperature was 186 degrees, to lose ONE mitten at school, but because I am nothing if not PREPARED, I went yesterday (YESTERDAY! while it was still warm!) and bought new mittens for him. And because I knew we were in for two or three days of bad weather, I stocked up on cheese sticks. Also beer and wine! What else do we need? At the end of the day yesterday I was patting myself on the back because WE WERE READY.

As it turns out, we’re not; we need milk and bread and cereal and perhaps something for DINNER. But at least Charlie’s little hands won’t fall off today, and I could throw a cocktail party if the whim struck (because cheese sticks! and wine! and Dean Martin!).

Henry’s school called a few minutes ago, to remind me about their policy for weather-related school closures because apparently there’s a good chance that school will be CANCELLED tomorrow. So possibly I may want to get something besides cheese sticks for us to eat. And maybe some videos for the kids to watch. And another bottle of wine for me.

Tomorrow I may very well be live-blogging the First Snow Day of the Year, which will certainly necessitate much swearing and random! use! of! punctuation! Plus I’m going to announce a Fun Contest! with a Great Prize! that YOU can win! right here! at Friday! Playdate! Huzzah! Check back tomorrow for details.

Because right now I need to go to the grocery. AGAIN. Dammit.

Hey, whaddya know? King Wenceslas WAS a real person! And he was hacked to death at the door of his church. Surprisingly, that detail didn’t make it into the Christmas carol . . .