Swept From the Corners of my Mind…..
I haven’t even gotten the Halloween decorations off my car and already the stores are filling with Christmas embellishments for sale. Hmmmm.
For those that celebrate Christmas, what puts you in the Christmas spirit? For some, it’s the date. As soon as December 1 rolls around, out comes the tree and up goes the lights. These folks tend to be the type that have started planning gifts by Dec 30 last year, and by now they are not only bought, but wrapped and shipped. They usually indulge in weeks of cooking all kinds of delicacies and the houses are decorated inside and out. I am convinced that many stores are managed by these types of people. I am not one of these people.
For others, Christmas is contained to a few days. The tree goes up a day or two before the date, then down again the day after. These folks don’t seem to frolic in festivities, but they’re still celebrating. Some, like my mother, do the minimum of decorating. Mom will turn on the lights on her house, pull a 2-foot pre-decorated tree out of a box and plunk it by a window and call it done. While she enjoys get-togethers, she doesn’t go from party to party, but does satisfy herself with carols at church events and the occasional family gathering. Minimalist, but celebratory.
Then there are those like a couple of my brothers who channel the Grinch and enjoy saying “Bah Humbug” to every Christmas greeting. I’m not one of those, either.
I used to be one of those Long Christmas people. When I was a newly-wed my tree went up on Dec 1 and I would resist taking it down until after Old Christmas (early part of January). As we lived in a 12’ wide house trailer, things were crowded, but the walls dripped with ornaments and the tree (and often the cat’s butts) dripped with tinsel.
My Festive Level remained high while the kids were small. We would destroy our budget buying way too many gifts for them. My husband would gift me bigger and bigger boxes of used books each year (a favourite gift we both appreciated). Many years we would hold a “Christmas in the barnyard” where cattle, horses, llamas, donkeys, sheep, goats, and whatever else kind of warm-blooded critter shared the farm that year would be turned into the round pen, straw bales would provide seating amongst them, a coal oil lantern would light the path from the driveway to the pen, and friends and relatives would join in. Depending on how cold it was, we would read the Christmas story and sing carols as the animals nibbled on the seating. Then we would end with all of us squishing into the little house trailer for hot chocolate and camaraderie. Simple, but enjoyable.
As the kids aged, my holiday spirit waned. Finally, the kids grew up and moved out. It was just Himself, the pets, and me at home. At the lowest ebb I would do no decorating and only pass out the obligatory gifts. I avoided celebrations and only attended work events where I was the MC, or joined my extended family gathering(step-siblings, half-siblings, in-laws and outlaws) where there were so many of us that we rented the church hall. I wasn’t quite Bah Humbug level, but it was close.
Luckily, this Curmudgeon stage has slowly evolved back to an appreciation of the traditions of the Christmas season. For me, the season now begins with my church’s annual Tree Decorating Service. Everyone through the door gets handed an ornament.
When we are all seated, the kids go gather up any leftovers baubles, “no shiny thing left behind!” During the service there are short readings followed by carols that match some of the ornaments. Come on, Ring Those Bells has the white and gold bell ornaments going to the tree to be hung. While Shepherd Watch Their Flocks by Night brings up those with the candy/shepherd’s cane ornaments, and so on. The variety of carols pair with readings and ornaments until everyone in the room has gone up, singly or in family groups, and every ornament is on the tree.
Parents lift small children to decorate branches. Grandparents go up with grandchildren. Friends grin as they compete to place the highest ornament. Familiar songs reserved for this time of year pair with the excitement of the kids as every ornament is put up. This, for me, is when the Christmas season begins.
It’s a simple ceremony, and its wonderful. I don’t know why it hits me like it does, but I know that when I miss it I feel out of step with the season. If you’d like to experience it, come to Cornerstone Free Methodist Church this Sunday at 11, sing carols, and hang ornaments. And whenever it happens, if you celebrate, may your Christmas season have a happy start.
