It’s that most wonderful time of year again. For some. And, oh, how I envy the folks who love the holidays (aka Christmas for some but not all of you all). You know who you are, you souls who relish every tiny candy sprinkle of the season...every carol sung...every holiday party attended.
Cheers to you, my friends, who make the holidays glitter, by:
buying such a huge (and fresh!) Christmas tree that it’s neater and easier to saw it apart when the new year arrives rather than try to remove it whole.
wrapping gifts like it’s an Olympic sport for which you have no intention of winning anything less than a Gold.
gathering the multi-generation family in coordinated outfits for the holiday pic, which you get developed, printed, and sent as a holiday card before the ides of December.
organizing a family bake-off, complete with matching aprons, photographs and memories, and delicious goodies for everybody to take with them.
hosting an annual Christmas brunch, table spread with delectables and topped with decorated cake-pops, house sparkling with trees decked out in tribute to a love of Disney, wine, a White House visit, and I can’t remember what else!
planning a family surprise that includes a pre-holiday cruise followed by a trip to Disney and culminating back by the family tree on Christmas day.
Woo-hoo! And whew!
To all of you who do the holidays proud like that, please know this: I admire you and wish you glad tidings and blessings. I appreciate your sharing your zest for the season and hope you enjoy every well-deserved moment.
To my other friends—the ones more like me, okay?—who may have a little less spirit this time of year.... Well, hugs to us, too, even as we find ourselves:
wrapping gifts, if we exchange them at all, in plain brown paper or ready-made bags.
decorating when or however we can, with or without a tree, maybe with lights and ornaments, perhaps with just the stress of the season, because, hey, why not?
smiling for pictures—maybe a selfie?—even if the whole family won’t be gathered and we may have to Photoshop someone(s) in.
gorging on store-bought goodies because we didn’t bake anything ourselves.
spatting over what to have and when to serve the holiday meal.
continuing to squabble over even sillier stuff—like the nutritional contents in popcorn—and growing frustrated enough to maybe even call our partner an ass.
planning for future holiday adventures, because, yes, it’s a stressful time, but what would life be without a little Christmas? (Or Festivus, Kwanzaa, or Boxing Day?)
Regardless of how or what you’re celebrating this December—whether you’re an elf who can’t get enough, a Grinch who can’t get away fast enough, or someone who falls in between and likes just enough—happy holidays!
Cheers ~ J
