December 7 - Celebrate the Season Day by Day

December 7 – Celebrate the whole season
In my own home, for nearly thirty years it was my turn to preside over one perfect Christmas after another. Anyone and anything that couldn’t move, or couldn’t move fast enough, was involved. We didn’t have celebrations so much as theatrical productions “Don’t stage manage, Mom” the boys cautioned but I never listened. I was the Queen of Christmas, wearing red and green earrings made from glass Christmas balls so big that if they had broken they would have slashed my jugular vein. This was my time of year, and I loved it. The tree had to be big enough to scrape paint off the living room ceiling when we put it in place.

One year in an excess of Yuletide spirit, I actually spray painted everything gold. This included a dozen artichokes (for a centerpiece) the kids’ Legos, (Christmas castle) and the dog. I don’t recommend that though. It turned out the dog really didn’t appreciate it.

Now it’s time to start new traditions again. The children are grown and don’t get home often at Christmas. I sometimes hardly know these successful adults but the little boy who once waited breathlessly for Santa to leave him a jet airplane has a rime of frost on his dark hair and is close to retirement from a career of flying real planes. Teen aged grandchildren would rather have a gift card from a record store than a wrapped gift.

The trick is to create small new traditions that bring the same delight as those long ago trees and bubbling lights. I am experimenting with cutting back. I haven’t decided whether to have a tree this year, because if you put up a tree, you have to take it down again right away, at least by February. My outdoor decorations are certainly less elaborate this year. I have three strings of lights and a tulip tree in the front yard. When the lights are on the tree, which is – say - from December 19 to – oh, May 23, we are decorated for Christmas. When the lights are not on the tree, we aren’t.

So far, my best new tradition is to warm two bathrobes in the dryer, put them on, one over the other, and curl up with a mug of hot chocolate with – and this is important – two marshmallows. I have a 2 foot tall figure of the Grinch which dances on his hands and sings. It’s in the poorest possible taste but it makes me giggle – so that’s a new tradition – at least til the batteries die.

Friends and family have become most important; the ones who are here, and the ones who can never be again.A reader wrote that her new tradition is to decorate her small tree with just family pictures, instead of Christmas balls. Giving unexpected gifts is a good new tradition. The World Vision Catalog (www.worldvisiongifts.org) says that for only $15.00 I could give two rabbits to an impoverished family and in a year they’d have 50 rabbits. Imagine. You can give a whole sheep for $150.00. I like that kind of optimism.

It’s really important to think of at least one small celebration moment every day. Have you

got yours for today yet?


Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)