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

Resolution Stress

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.

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.

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.