It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

“It's the most wonderful time of the year ... ” 

I must admit that I do have this Christmas song running in my mind. It is a terrible earworm to have, but the start of the new school year always has me humming this tune.

There is a valid reason for this.

A few years ago, there was a TV commercial that depicted a mother, happily maneuvering through a store shopping for back to schools supplies. Her children were in tow, sluggishly moving along with sullen faces. The music that accompanied this scene was the Christmas classic, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," by Andy Williams.

The juxtaposition in this commercial always makes me laugh. My children on the other hand find this advertisement boorish and cruel—they fail to see the humor in it.

Is it wrong of me to hum this tune while out with my children buying back to school supplies? I think not. Do my children appreciate when I sing this song to them? I can assure you they are not pleased when I do this.

I tell my children that each school year is a time for a new beginning, a fresh start and a wonderful opportunity to learn more exciting things. My oldest cherub looks at me and says, "But you don’t have to go to middle school.”

She has a point and I agree.

I, on the other hand, am very excited about the fall. I become ecstatic thinking about teaching my classes and meeting my students. I love the classes that I am teaching. I can hardly contain my enthusiasm about this. My exuberance about the matter falls upon deaf ears when I mention this to my children.

They look at me like I have lost my mind. I catch them staring at me, like I am some sort of science experiment gone awry. Hey what can I say, I love to teach cooking classes.

I continue to merrily hum the Andy Williams Christmas song, especially the closer it gets for school to start. The song for me signals a time for a new start, a fresh clean slate for this upcoming school year. The fall is a wonderful time for me—I enjoy the newness of the school year.

As much as I can convey this concept to my children of this, they are still not buying into it. They look at each other, shake their heads and leave the room where I am standing. I know that they are convinced that I have lost my mind.

Here is one of the classes that I am most excited about this semester. I am happy to be co-teaching a coffee and biscotti pairing and appreciation class—with David DiOrio, owner of 19 Coffee Company—Coffee & Biscotti - The Perfect Pair.

It is going to be an awesome class. David has a vast knowledge about coffee, micro-roasting and brewing. He is going to share his expertise in this area while bringing samples of his delicious coffees. I will teach students about biscotti making and how to pair it with coffee to create the ultimate experience.

Check out my previous blog post on David DiOrio and 19 Coffee Company: .

For more information about Coffee & Biscotti - The Perfect Pair and my other classes, check out CCAC Community Education Department:

http://shopcommunityed.ccac.edu/Courses/Food_and_Spirits/Cooking_for_a_Crowd.aspx

http://shopcommunityed.ccac.edu/Courses/Food_and_Spirits/Sunday_Dinner_Italian_Style_Pa.aspx