The Holidays ... Here We Go Again

The holiday season is upon us... again. Thanksgiving 2006 was great, everything went off without a hitch and the family had a relaxing, peaceful day together. It was nice to have my husband home for the holiday. Mom and I were able to go up north to bring Grandma to Anchorage for a few days. Grandma's getting up there in age now, this was her 81st Thanksgiving. It was interesting to listen to Gram speak about what the holidays were like in the late 1920's and beyond, how so much has changed.

Instead of forcing the children to dress for dinner, I opted to let them wear comfortable clothes. I think they were very grateful for the change of pace. Since it was only the six of us here, there was no need for formality.

After dinner the children, mom and my husband got comfortable in the living room and watched football, while Gram and I sat at the dining room table going over my latest crafty endeavor, beading. I've found a creative outlet that has unlimited possibilities. My glass bead collection continues to grow, and I have signed up for a class being held at Michael's Arts & Crafts. I had a container full of finished bracelets and let Gram choose her favorites. Despite her age, she still has an eye for style. She was quite impressed with my latest designs and immediately went for my favorite bracelet thus far. That tells me my work is getting better, as she has a discerning eye.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's on to Christmas season. For some reason I'm not feeling that "Christmas Spirit" thing. At one time this was my all time favorite holiday so I can't quite put my finger on what's making me feel this way. Perhaps it's all the work involved in getting the house decorated, and all the shopping, wrapping, mailing, etc. Despite all the good things he does, my husband has never, ever helped with Christmas. I do everything, and maybe I've just reached a burned out point.

That, and it sure would be nice to cut back on the gift giving and keep more money in the bank. One of these years, perhaps soon, I think the family should forget about gifts and take a month long vacation to a warm destination.

Too bad we did not plan that for this Christmas... because we are entering our 4th week of unseasonably cold weather. I do not remember the last day the temperature was above 15*. According to our thermometer, it is currently -11* F which is far too cold for this time of year. If I had to take a guess I'd say Mother Nature is making her stand against global warming. I'm entering my 17th winter in Alaska and this is by far the coldest I can remember. This area of Alaska usually sees these low temperatures in January, not November. We still get a decent amount of sunlight each day, but the days continue to grow shorter, which means the sun will soon be gone for all but 4 hours a day. If this cold trend continues, January is going to be awfully cold - with absolutely no heat from the sun to add any warmth. No sun, cold temperatures, and a low savings account from holiday shopping does not make for a happy time of year, but I will have my bead work to keep busy, and by then my husband will be working hard on his side business of tying fishing flies. We'll get through this winter, just as we've done for so many years.

Perhaps once I get all the autumn decor put away for the year and the Christmas tree goes up I will find that missing Christmas spirit. The tree always brightens the house and adds some sparkle to these long, dark days. Yes, that's what needs to happen, the tree needs to go up and the decorations need dusting off and put in place. Once that little chore is out of the way, the Christmas spirit will set in.

My first shopping mission will be to find one ornament for each of my sons and one for my husband. Since the children were born, every Christmas I get each boy a special ornament and try to make the ornament fit whatever their current interests are. This year I will look for a snowboarding ornament for the oldest, and a wrestling ornament for the youngest. And every year my husband gets a fishing themed ornament to add to his collection. When the boys marry and have families of their own, I will pass the ornaments I've collected over the years on to them so they have something to place on their Christmas trees. One of these years my husband's collection of fishing ornaments will have to go on a fishing ornament tree. It's little traditions like that that make Christmas special for me. As teenagers, right now the boys probably do not understand or appreciate what I've been doing all these years, but one day, when they have families of their own I hope they look back on the assortment of ornaments I've chosen for them and appreciate these special little treasures from their mom.

Closing for now... must wake up in just a few hours to take mom out shopping for a desk for her new computer and a TV/VCR/DVD combo set up she's been lusting after. We will spend all day Saturday getting mom set up and welcome her into the 21st century. Putting a computer in the hands of my mother should be rather interesting, especially since she doesn't have the first clue how to even do so much as send an e-mail. EEK! I'm imagining what it will be like trying to teach old mom how to use the computer and can feel the white hairs squeaking through my scalp. Oy-Vey!