Sunday, December 5, 2010

I Hope Yule Like This

Her official arrival isn't for a couple of weeks yet, but Mother Nature's frigid sister has been teasing us with her icy embraces. Just now it is snowing. Large, fluffy flakes wafting down and exerting effort to defy gravity while seeking out the ideal resting place. It's a Currier and Ives kind of snow. The type that almost makes you want to get out the boxes of decorating paraphernalia and yield to wild abandon. Almost.

I am acquainted with people who, as soon as the dinner dishes are cleared on Thanksgiving Day, hoist the evergreen into place and have at it. I am not one of them. I've already had to listen to tidings of good cheer for weeks in every store I enter. Aisles of sundries shoved sideways for Santa. The rabid retail redecorating of businesses is perhaps one of my biggest pet peeves.

Please don't misunderstand--I love this season! I love the lights, the glitter, and the colours. I love the crisp, brisk air and the snowy serenity. What I don't like is the avaricious pursuit of material gain. Everything is now 40 to 60 percent off. I believe that includes dignity as well. I have already informed those who are on my gift list that they will be receiving hand-crafted practical gifts. I will not be seeking indulgences from department stores or sacrificing myself on the altars of to-die-for whatevers at bargain prices.

The tree will go up at some point. It will be dazzling and bejewelled with family heirlooms and my latest creative efforts. The lights will dance off of garlands of faceted beads and snowflakes. My mother's hand-crocheted angels will dance among the boughs dripping with tinsel. The cats will vie for space on the tree skirt beneath the celestial confection above. Cats and ribbons are not a good combination so the gifts will be stowed in one of the guest rooms until distribution time. No surface will go unadorned. The creche here, old world Father Yules there, all bathed in warm lighting.

There may or may not be background music. Depends on the mood. I know that silence is scary for some people but, personally, I like the quietness when I'm taking all the Christmas wonder in. I don't need anyone to tell me how or what to feel. In fact, I think it's distracting to the other senses. I think Christmas should be a season of sponteneity not habit. Traditions are wonderful but should never be absolute as if they were written in stone. I don't want to be limited by the past or restricted by the present. Christmas should evolve just as we evolve as each year passes.

Time is the rarest and most priceless gift we either give or receive. If we spent as much time reaching out to one another as we do decorating and selecting the perfect gift, Christmas would get its' meaning back and the world would be the better for it.

16 comments:

  1. Amen! I can't believe how early the stores start now, it makes you immune to the specialness of the season if you let it.
    I have only put out the St Nicholas figurines since his feast day is Dec 6th. Maybe next weekend the tree will go up, maybe later. Since we are now Old Calendar Orthodox I get longer to wait if I want to!

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  2. I still miss the Christmastide of my childhood. It seemed magical then, but maybe that was because I did not have to 'prepare' it?

    Living in Australia now, I have no concept of Yule. The heat saps everything!

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  3. Beautiful! So agree, long live the Christmas spirit!
    Here in Australia we get to make our own new traditions, fresh each year if we want, keep the good bits, invent some new ones.Run with the heat, preferable into the refreshing surf!
    I just had an e-card dreaming of a white Christmas, it's so delicious to have it all!

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  4. Bravo! Truly this is what the season is about. Time is precious and we give it the least. Great post.

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  5. Lady H: You're absolutely right! After being force-fed 'holiday cheer' you do get immune to the magic because it isn't genuine. I like my Christmas fresh--not canned.

    herhimnbryn: Welcome! The magic is within you--set it free! I lived on the balmy Gulf Coast of Texas for 26 years and I understand not knowing what to do about Yule when the weather's so un-Currier and Ives. Hard to get all 'deck the halls' in a Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts. I recommend doing the simple things in a big way just for the fun of it. Add a little colouring outside the lines to the mix and you've got an extraordinary memory.
    I've read your profile....we have many things in common. Please come again!

    Von: Something just tells me that no matter where you'd be, or what ever the occasion, you'd make everything fun and memorable. If it gets too warm around here I have a variety of snow drifts to plunge into--and a wee keg of brandy around my neck just in case!

    Red:--Time is indeed precious and I strongly urge those inclined to make some of it to give--save a generous portion for yourselves. You deserve a treat of quiet personal time.

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  6. Yes, Lord W, Time.. it is the ultimate gift to give or receive... in the last few years we even try to give ourselves the gift of time..
    but with so many demands on our precious time, in the beginning it felt like we were cheating when we did it... sometimes others feelings get hurt when we need a bit of time to ourselves... so I do hope they all understand in the Christmas spirit.

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  7. In an ideal world they would. Not bloody likely in this one. However, I will contemplate on that after I've locked the doors and drawn the curtains. I only hope my 'quarrantine' sign is big enough to see from the road.

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  8. You are probably right..
    I know it didn't go over too well last year.. sometimes we give so much of ourselves away we have nothing left for ourselves.. but of course feeling guilty at Christmas is the other alternative..
    Christmas and being a hermit don't seem to jive somehow...

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  9. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I am a hermit.

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  10. And I am diligently trying to realize the life of a recluse. It's like swimming against the incoming tide in Fundy. :-) And I'm a lousy swimmer..........

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  11. I will admit that our tree goes up early (I do at least wait for Dec to arrive), but it's a tree from our own land that we cut ourselves (with the help of 5 cows, of course) and it is just so beautiful that I like to enjoy it for as long as possible. As for the rest....I'm not even doing Christmas cards any more (to the horror of many) and our gift giving has become more natural, as well. There is nothing wrong with being a hermit (it used to be one of our goals "become more hermit-like"), especially this time of year to enjoy all the beauty.

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  12. Hermits Unite! Oh, wait a minute.....ummm.....nevermind.

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  13. Maybe if hermits united under "Hermits Anonymous" it would be okay...who would know?

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  14. OMG!! That was great!! I love that idea. Recluse rehab here I come......

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  15. When one is as old as I am Christmas can be very stressful. I can just about manage to enjoy it every other year. This year was an off year for me; we went to New Zealand where it is summer and we spent a quiet Christmas with my cousin who is even older than I. But I, like you, love the glitter and excitement, so next year I'll be rested up for tree and presents and grandchildren and dinner and all.

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  16. Good for you, 20th Century Woman! One year, a while back, I decided to make my big annual Christmas Open House a Christmas-free zone. No decorations, no carols, no glitz or glitter. I put a small tree on a table just outside my door with a sign that read: 'Take a good long admiring look at this tree--because there ain't any other Christmas beyond this point'. Everyone survived and as I recall no one missed all the hoopla. It's the gift of togetherness that makes the holiday not the accessories.

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