December Means

Cleaning off shelves and spaces around the house so you can fill them again with holiday decorations and that 12-foot tree you saw in the lot. Well, maybe not 12 feet. My husband had enough trouble putting up our 10-foot tree one year and said never again. Something about wires, bolts in the wall and a ladder to put the decorations near the top. But it looks so pretty when the lights are lit and the colorful packages are arranged underneath.

Holiday scented candles scattered around so the house will smell like candy canes, fresh pine, sugar cookies, and maybe a bit of spice in there too.

Or standing outside saying "but honey, the lights really need to go higher." On our block the men like to decorate the outside when a female neighbor puts up her lights since she always wears shorts. Still, it gets them working!

And the mall. Yes, we have on line shopping, but it’s still fun to brave the mall to see the decorations there. I always enjoyed the animatronics carol singing bears at ours. You look for the perfect gift. The one that screams a family member or friend’s name. When that happens to me for a friend’s gift I have a family member looking at me skeptically saying “Are you sure she’d want this?” and I’d be so positive, “Definitely.” And I'm always right. :}

Baking a variety of cookies, whipping up candies and perhaps digging out some tried and true recipes that never go wrong for the season. I have some that I make without fail and always make more than enough to share.

Thanks to the post office we don’t have to stand in long lines to mail out packages, and they’re picked up at the home.

There’s even more to add to our holiday mix – the music that has us singing along and movies that make us alternately laugh and cry.Our CD player is loaded with holiday music and I switched over the music on my iPod so I can listen to it in my SUV and I also dug out our holiday DVD collection that I always add to every year.

And family and friends. Last month, we gave thanks for them and this month we celebrate with them.It’s also a season that can go all year long.

Just one tiny reminder – take the tree down. Do you really want a Charlie Brown tree dying in that corner? And after awhile Jingle Bell Rock will get on your nerves.

So from January 1 on just celebrate the color and energy and the meaning. Okay?

Linda