We're hosting an office

We're hosting an office party in two weeks, so now I have incentive to find curtains for the living room and a place to store CDs.

To that end, I went shopping yesterday. I came home with sheets and a calendar, not quite what was on my list. But that's not all. I came home humming Christmas songs.

Every store I visited played them. Seibu LOFT had Japanese Christmas carols playing, perky upbeat tunes composed especially for happy shopping times. I didn't know if was possible to rhyme Japanses words with "Santa Claus" but they managed it.

Tokyu Hands played "The Rat Pack Celebrates Christmas." Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin & Sammy Davis, Jr. all crooned from the loudspeakers. Loud was the key word.

I hate Christmas carols in shops. I like a nice Christmas carol playing on my stereo while I bake holiday goodies or wrap packages. I love to sing carols. But I don't like being forced to listen to them while I shop for curtains.

But they worked their magic on my yesterday; those store carols influenced my purchasing. The sheets I bought I bought are pine green.