Christmas Past and Present

Several things are happening simultaneously in these last weeks of December: parties in neighbourhoods and workplaces pop up everywhere, houses get decorated, shopping occurs in mammoth proportions, baking, singing, and yuletide greetings. I’ve sifted through my holidays past and come up with My Big Five Christmas Jollies:

1—Keeping my eyes peeled for Christmas lights. While a few houses have a single string of lights, many others are festooned with a glorious mish-mash of sparkling colors. Just recently I’ve noticed this lonely house on a rather busy road, a block away from the oil refinery and across the street from a hardware store—not another residence in sight. And there it sits, gloriously lit up for Christmas—transmitting happy energy to all who pass by. I so appreciate the time and effort that teams of people have put into making this a truly festive season.

German_Christmas_lights

2—Sending greeting cards at Christmas is a super way to let people know that you’re thinking of them, and even though it’s easy to see from my scrawl that I’m on a kind of assembly line production, it’s so much more personal than a mere ‘Happy Christmas to All’ greeting on facebook.

3—Choosing about 5 different recipes and baking cookies and bars to give away to friends, family and neighbours. I can’t remember when I started this tradition, and I know I missed a few years here and there, but it’s a pursuit that gives great pleasure—and one way for me to share some cheer. Looking at the calendar and how fast the 25th is approaching, I’m hoping that the stars will align so that I’ll have the time and energy to bake.

4—Having a spirit of camaraderie with friends, family and strangers: hearing and sharing all the goings on about this holiday/Christmas season, being ready for it, getting in the spirit, how many shopping days are left, children making lists and participating in pageants, smiling and laughing and being part of peace on earth, good will towards all. It’s a great time to just get along.

5—Road tripping to Morro Bay for Christmas beside the big rock. Each year I get more excited about the journey down the central coast. We get to spend about 3 days walking the beaches with multitudes of water birds, gazing at sunrises and sunsets—that have all the colors of Christmas lights— absorbing all the energy of waves crashing on the sand. But first, we’ll decorate our hotel room and set the stage for a Merry Christmas!

[Img.Src: German holiday lights]

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