MOST Wonderful Time??

I have been delinquent about posting photos and adventures and all-around Hawaiian stuff. I know it. No need to rub it in. But I'm gonna pause for a sec and ask your indulgence in a break from our regularly scheduled programming. No photos. No links. No bells and whistles (please as if this blog had those to begin with).

I love Christmas time.

I really do.

But as I sit here, Pandora (yes I have a Christmas station) in full swing, I wonder if it's truly the MOST Wonderful Time of the year. I have a problem with superlatives in general. But this time of year CAN be pretty rad, if you let it.

So - a few GREAT things about this time of year:

- The Spirit of Giving: It really does seem like people are in it to do something nice for others. Unless you're in a parking lot, or eyeing the last Cabbage Patch Kid (that isn't still the coolest toy ever?), or in line at Target. But honestly - Toys for Tots, Angel Trees, the Salvation Army Kettles, Adopt-A-Family, Food Drives - these things are all awesome. I love knowing that some people have a brighter holiday season than they would normally have otherwise because of the generosity of a total stranger. I could go on a, "Why are these things only done at Christmas?" diatribe, but I won't.


- Hope and Promise: And no, I am definitively NOT referring to anything political in any way. But really, there does seem to be a spirit of hope in the air at this time of year. People who've had a great year think, "Yay! Next year could even be better!" and people who've had some hard knocks this year think, "Well, next year can only be better!" Kids are excited and hopeful about Santa and a long break from school, and for a nanosecond, Peace on Earth might even seem possible. The prevailing optimism of the season just doesn't seem to be there for the rest of the year. I like it. And let's not forget (and yes, I am going to go there) that the origin of Christmas As We Know It is based in a Christian holiday and that the reason for all that hope and promise actually has to do with the pending arrival of a certain baby who would be laid in a manger amindst those lowing cattle - that from very humble beginnings, great things can arise. Even if you don't believe in the story or the many stories that would come later, you have to agree that the overarching theme of hope for the future and for mankind makes it pretty tough to stay grouchy.


- Cards and Parties: Nope, not a Hallmark ad, people. But really - this is a time of year for reconnecting. I get (and send) cards from (to) people I haven't talked to in a great while. I do it because I want them to know that even though I'm horrible at keeping in touch, they still hold a place in my heart. And the gatherings - a time for catching up with old friends and making new ones. This time of year presents a lovely opportunity to refocus on our center - those irreplacable souls who have touched our brief flash of a life in some way. And even if they ARE far away, as the majority of mine are, you still have the opportunity to reach out and let them know you love them. How can you argue with that?


- Gifts!: I know. Shopping at this time of year is right up there with a root canal, or maybe electric shock therapy, on your list of things you hope to do right away. But channel, for a second, that feeling you get when you give someone The.Perfect.Gift. The gift that they didn't expect, that you thought of all on your own. The gift that makes them cry tears of joy. The happiness you bring people when you go out of your way to find just the right thing. You're smiling now, aren't you? Busted!


So maybe this whole post smacks a bit of Pollyanna. If you don't like it, the interwebs is a vast place with a wealth of viewpoints that differ from my own, and I invite you to explore it. But this is my site, and if I want to be optimistic and cheerful, you can't stop me!

Neener, neener, neener!!


This holiday season, admittedly, has not been the easiest I've had. I miss people. I miss places. I miss traditions that I have never missed in more than three decades. I fret over a lot of things. Life isn't easy or painless and I wish that a very many things were different right now. I canNOT listen to, "I'll Be Home for Christmas" without bursting into tears.

But today, I am remembering what is great about this season. I am allowing myself to have a glimmer of that childhood optimisim - harken back with me, to the year when your biggest worry was whether you were going to get a Red Ryder BB gun with a compass in the stock, and this thing which tells time. Or a Golden Echo Harmonica. Or your Two Front Teeth. Whatevs.

Feel it yet?

Look at the Christmas tree. The lights are so twinkly, as if each one could burst open with another stream of Christmas Spirit at any second! And the light glimmers on the tinsel/garland/silvery icicles (shhhh...you are too young to realize what a pain icicles were yet, remember?). Soon that tree will have a pile of goodies from Santa under it. But first, there is snow to be played in. Life is good.

How 'bout now?

Maybe it will help to think of Christmas Eve. It's cold out (or not, if you're not from a cold place), but no matter. The house is warm and cozy inside. Maybe you have some hot cocoa, but it's getting close to bedtime. You help put some cookies on a plate and fill a glass with milk (and don't forget some lettuce and carrots for the reindeer!). You can hardly sleep, but you have to try or Santa won't come. As you drift away, you think maybe you can hear sleigh bells in the distance...or was that a hoof on the roo......*snore*


For me, when I think back, there are some people in the picture who aren't there this year. A huge hole remains where those people once were, and there is no denying that that hole hurts. But I still can't help but smile when I remember who used to fill that space. How much they loved Christmas. How it brought a smile to their face when we (as kids) got SO. EXCITED. about everything.


Just for a minute, I am going to have the Perfect Christmas Season. For 60 seconds of my life, I am going to remember all the good and forget all the bad and smile as the optimism seeps its way in through my pores.

And when I get down about things, I'm gonna remember that feeling and try to bring it back.


What's your favorite thing about Christmas?