This is the weirdest holiday season in recent memory. Except for the Covid year, which will forever be the pinnacle of "weird", and does not count.
We had an unusual stretch of dry, sunny November days so Hub put up the outdoor lights earlier than ever. We didn't turn them on right away and I swore we'd wait until at least the first week of December, but on Thanksgiving night, turkey leftovers barely cold in the 'fridge, the lights went on. Then a couple days later the tree went up. My birthday is December 19 and when I was a kid that was the day we put up the tree! Can you imagine? In this day and age, December 19 is so late as to feel we've completely missed the season!
But starting so early has meant my whole internal holiday clock is off. I feel like the season is either stretching out for months...or it's flying by and I'm in a rush to be ready, as if Christmas is later today (!), rather than still nearly two weeks off.
Our 13 year old granddaughter made the 7th grade girls volleyball team about which she was beyond thrilled. We've been going to twice/weekly games. I love it!!! It's a bit akin to watching my boys playing 2nd grade coach pitch baseball. They've got the general idea, but are not too proficient at the finer points. And just like those little boys, they couldn't be cuter or more enthusiastic or more into team commaradarie even if they were having a winning season. She declares she loves it and loves hanging out with and playing volleyball with her friends, and that is what 7th grade is all about anyway. But any grandkid Christmas outings we imagined are not happening (yet). It's been all volleyball all the time.
I'm also thrown off by people traveling. When did that become a thing? Son Two and our dear DIL just got back from Italy where they traveled over Thanksgiving. Friends are posting on FB from the tip of South America, half-way through a southern hemisphere monthlong cruise. Other friends spent time recently in the Galapagos Islands. I'm confused. Isn't the holiday season (Halloween to New Year's, basically) time for family, home, and hearth? I suppose that hearkens back to my Illinois childhood when two weeks was the grand total of time off all year for my dad working at the textile factory. Vacation meant going to Indiana to visit Grandma and Grandpa in, like, July.
Unfortunately, the Hallmark movies are annoying this year for the most part. We've spent our usual 20 minutes sampling one or another before taking a vote: watch or ditch. We've ditched more than we've watched. The formula is predictable, the plots almost identical, and the writing and acting lazy, but this year there isn't even a sufficient dose of over the top Pinterest decor to help me feel the spirit!
We did have a weekend of our own Christmas movie magic early in the month. There is a town 100 miles east over the mountain pass that has a hokey Bavarian theme which hosts "festivals" of various types year round with Christmas being the biggest. So many lights! So many shops! So much snow! Horse drawn carriages and live music in the park. Hot chocolate, candy canes, spiced cider. We stayed at a B&B 10 minutes out of town in the middle of the forest. Star-studded nights, crisp sunny days, lots of snowshoeing to complement the towny Winter Carnival atmosphere. That was nice.
Yet, I notice I have no interest in receiving any gifts. I DON'T WANT ANY MORE STUFF!!! Which has had an unfortunate carryover into also not wanting to GIVE any gifts. I can't think of one creative gift-giving idea and besides, WHO NEEDS MORE STUFF?!? Consequently I've purchased only one gift for one grandchild. Panic will set in shortly.
Also, I've scheduled a few visits with my therapist, so I'm distracted by working to become a new and improved version of my already awesome, but occasionally malfunctioning, self. It takes some energy and is a bit disorienting to change familiar but unhelpful thought and emotional/behavioral patterns using new therapeutic modalities that take me off auto-pilot and ask me to forge a new route with both of my hands on the wheel. Sheesh. Who undertakes this at Christmas time?!?
At least that's the view from here...©
Did you see the Hallmark movie where the main characters who fall in live were two gay guys? The Holiday Sitter is the first of its kind and got some backlash but not as much as I thought it would.
ReplyDeleteMy niece travels over the holidays, too, has every since her dad's divorce. Traditions change for various reasons and Covid has been the excuse for many people reevaluating their holiday traditions. So many people are depressed by the holidays that change is probably a good thing.
I heard about that movie from a friend recently. It's on my list. And travels...yes, things change. I've often threatened to leave town and avoid the whole holiday thing. Maybe one day I will; yet, being home with the family (esp. grandkids) feels right too. Holidays can be stressful, but so is travel -- for me anyway.
DeleteI feel as if Christmas is missing in our house this year. With our vacation mid December and then hubby working, we haven't even decorated at all. Solution, kids coming up to spend Christmas Eve day with me, get all the boxes out but intentionally choose only the special decor items. Hubby will come home at 6pm and we'll all get cozy and watch Christmas movies. Don't know which one though. Maybe a simple classic!!!
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