Christmas in June

I want to watch the Christmas movie. Those were the first words out of our 3 year-old granddaughter's mouth as she came through our front door on an 80 degree June day.  The desired movie being The Grinch That Stole Christmas.

Our granddaughter comes by it honestly.

When I was growing up Christmas was always a bid deal in my immediate and extended family. Later, the first Christmas tree I bought for an apartment of my own took up a full quarter of the living room. Later still, decorating the colonial style house in which my wife and I set up housekeeping grew to a four day undertaking.

Our own kids knew the words to every Christmas song there ever was by heart. A friend once speculated that I must have tied my son to a chair, placed speakers on either side of him, and refused to cut him loose until every holiday song was committed to memory.

My son went on to buy a Christmas tree that took up a full quarter of the living room of his apartment.

So when our daughter's daughter requested Christmas in June my wife looked at me, rolled her eyes, and said.... Oh my gosh -  it's genetic

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.

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.

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.

Santa Transport

Oh what a laugh it would have been if Daddy had only seen... Santa on a camel?




Well, I guess sleigh runners don't work so well in the desert.  I'm thinking maybe a pair of shorts though.

Seasonal Tradition

The four weeks (roughly) from Thanksgiving to Christmas are filled with more traditions, expectations, and obligations than any other time of year. Trying to fit everything in frequently leaves us with our heads spinning.

Ironically it's also a time of year filled with songs about taking time out to count our blessings and spend time with those who are most important to us.

And what do we do during these four weeks?  We rush from one thing to the next... dinner gatherings, Christmas pageants, holiday shopping, cookie baking, office parties, gift wrapping, and decorating.  By the time extended family comes knocking at our door all we want to do is collapse.

It occurs to me that traditions are meant to bring comfort - not stress. Perhaps we have lost not only the reason for the season as so many suggest, but the proper perspective on tradition.

Henry David Thoreau once said: The more you chase happiness the more it eludes you. But if you turn your attention to other things happiness comes and sits softly on your shoulder.

Perhaps the same is true of tradition. Perhaps we should allow traditions to be created rather than strive to create them.

Resolve to take time this year to enjoy the season.