After all these years, it has finally dawned on me why we subject ourselves to the hustle and bustle... the endless hours... of holiday preparation.
We do it willingly to distract ourselves from the long dark nights of December.
And the reason we set New Year's resolutions is so that we'll continue to have something to focus on other than the long dark nights of January and February. Because let's face it... by March those resolutions are out the window.
In other words, we set ourselves up for stress purely as a distraction.
Well, this year my New Year's Resolution is to not make any resolutions. I'll avoid the stress and...more relaxed... spend those long dark nights snoring under the covers.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Sunday, December 23, 2012
May You...
Whatever your personal beliefs. Whatever your holiday traditions.
May your home be filled with the people your care for and the foods you savor. May you know serenity, joy, and warm embrace.
If circumstances keep you apart from loved ones, may you find peace in memories and the promise of reunion.
Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!
May your home be filled with the people your care for and the foods you savor. May you know serenity, joy, and warm embrace.
If circumstances keep you apart from loved ones, may you find peace in memories and the promise of reunion.
Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Ornamental Memories
Our Christmas tree might be just as aptly called a memory tree.
Every year, as I hang ornaments, I am reminded of years past. There's the first ornament Motivated Mom and I bought together - the year we were married standing in our living room on Christmas. The ornament that says baby's first Christmas was hung on the tree while College Dude sat strapped into a child seat on the floor - wearing a one piece Santa outfit. The other baby's first Christmas ornament was hung just about the same time Media Girl was taking her first steps.
There are a group of ornaments inscribed with the names of all the different pets that have shared our house over the years and collections inspired by different phases of our lives. Ornaments that followed us home from Disney World, Williamsburg, Aruba, and more.
Each ornament brings a period of the past back to life as through I were looking at the event through a portal in time. Each ornament reminds me of how fortunate our family has been.
Every year, as I hang ornaments, I am reminded of years past. There's the first ornament Motivated Mom and I bought together - the year we were married standing in our living room on Christmas. The ornament that says baby's first Christmas was hung on the tree while College Dude sat strapped into a child seat on the floor - wearing a one piece Santa outfit. The other baby's first Christmas ornament was hung just about the same time Media Girl was taking her first steps.
There are a group of ornaments inscribed with the names of all the different pets that have shared our house over the years and collections inspired by different phases of our lives. Ornaments that followed us home from Disney World, Williamsburg, Aruba, and more.
Each ornament brings a period of the past back to life as through I were looking at the event through a portal in time. Each ornament reminds me of how fortunate our family has been.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
First Steps
It happened in a fortnight. Our granddaughter went from immobility to walking - bypassing crawling altogether.
There was the phase where she would stand upright while leaning on the couch - if someone set her on her feet first. Then suddenly she simply appeared underfoot in the kitchen, leaning on cabinet doors to enhance her stability.
The crafty look on her face when she first came around the corner said Got you didn't I?
And now....now nothing is secure. The snow village under the Christmas tree was devastated by an avalanche generated by a seven-month-old. Drawers and cabinets have been opened, their contents either simply inspected or altogether rearranged. The small palm tree in the corner is enduring the plucking of fronds from its branches.
I had forgotten this phase, this period of mobile inquisitveness where everything is a prize. I must remember to keep my car keys in my pocket.
There was the phase where she would stand upright while leaning on the couch - if someone set her on her feet first. Then suddenly she simply appeared underfoot in the kitchen, leaning on cabinet doors to enhance her stability.
The crafty look on her face when she first came around the corner said Got you didn't I?
And now....now nothing is secure. The snow village under the Christmas tree was devastated by an avalanche generated by a seven-month-old. Drawers and cabinets have been opened, their contents either simply inspected or altogether rearranged. The small palm tree in the corner is enduring the plucking of fronds from its branches.
I had forgotten this phase, this period of mobile inquisitveness where everything is a prize. I must remember to keep my car keys in my pocket.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Connecticut Christmas
One of my favorite holiday past times occurs after the rest of the household has gone to bed.
Grabbing a good book and a glass of wine, I turn off all of the lights in the house except those on the Christmas tree, put an assortment of Christmas music on the stereo, and settle into the recliner. The relaxation is so complete that it's not uncommon for me to find myself waking from a slumped slumber in the wee hours of the morning.
In Connecticut there are over two dozen families that will struggle to find comfort and joy in the Christmas season for many years to come. For these families the gaily decorated tree, the carols of the season, and the smell of Christmas treats in the oven will all serve as reminders of what was lost.
Were I to be granted a single Christmas miracle this year, I would wish Newton Connecticut to wake to the virginity of fresh snow on Christmas morning and discover every bed in every household occupied. That every member of this community, as it was on December 13, would go about their annual traditions without a care. That the bells in church steeples would tell of nothing more than a baby's birth.
May God bless us everyone.
Grabbing a good book and a glass of wine, I turn off all of the lights in the house except those on the Christmas tree, put an assortment of Christmas music on the stereo, and settle into the recliner. The relaxation is so complete that it's not uncommon for me to find myself waking from a slumped slumber in the wee hours of the morning.
In Connecticut there are over two dozen families that will struggle to find comfort and joy in the Christmas season for many years to come. For these families the gaily decorated tree, the carols of the season, and the smell of Christmas treats in the oven will all serve as reminders of what was lost.
Were I to be granted a single Christmas miracle this year, I would wish Newton Connecticut to wake to the virginity of fresh snow on Christmas morning and discover every bed in every household occupied. That every member of this community, as it was on December 13, would go about their annual traditions without a care. That the bells in church steeples would tell of nothing more than a baby's birth.
May God bless us everyone.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Grail Beer
It seems Christmas came early this year for beer connoisseurs in the U.S. The holiday came with a price tag of $85 a six pack - which 150,000 folks eagerly paid.
The beer, brewed by monks in Belgium, and known as Westvleteren XII - or Westy 12 for short- is the type of thing that folks stand in line overnight for.
It seems the robed brew masters needed a new roof for their Abby so the decided to share their god-given talents with the U.S. via a limited release of the hoppy delight.
I'm all for supporting a good cause, and I appreciate a good brew as much as the next guy; but it strikes me as more than a little odd that monks are repairing a house of god by offering a product that has folks camping out in front of liquor stores.
Now if the beer came with the holy grail........
The beer, brewed by monks in Belgium, and known as Westvleteren XII - or Westy 12 for short- is the type of thing that folks stand in line overnight for.
It seems the robed brew masters needed a new roof for their Abby so the decided to share their god-given talents with the U.S. via a limited release of the hoppy delight.
I'm all for supporting a good cause, and I appreciate a good brew as much as the next guy; but it strikes me as more than a little odd that monks are repairing a house of god by offering a product that has folks camping out in front of liquor stores.
Now if the beer came with the holy grail........
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Holiday Investment
As I complete the wrapping of gifts, it occurs to me the holiday season and a gourmet meal have a lot in common.
Gourmet meals involve numerous hours of behind the scenes preparation before the food is plated, only to have the food disappear in minutes.
Weeks of preparation go into Christmas and, in most households, the long awaited event is past history in mere hours.
Butt the effort is worth it. Just as a delicious meal can bring friends, families, or lovers together in intimacy and leave them feeling comfortably fulfilled, so too do the holidays bring us together and remind us of the importance of taking time out to spend time with those who are important to us. A real gift in an age when we all race from one thing to the next.
For those who approach the holiday with love and caring, the return on investment is more valuable than what might be held in any bank vault.
Gourmet meals involve numerous hours of behind the scenes preparation before the food is plated, only to have the food disappear in minutes.
Weeks of preparation go into Christmas and, in most households, the long awaited event is past history in mere hours.
Butt the effort is worth it. Just as a delicious meal can bring friends, families, or lovers together in intimacy and leave them feeling comfortably fulfilled, so too do the holidays bring us together and remind us of the importance of taking time out to spend time with those who are important to us. A real gift in an age when we all race from one thing to the next.
For those who approach the holiday with love and caring, the return on investment is more valuable than what might be held in any bank vault.
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