December 7, 2011
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Lost and Found
I have a couple of friends that recently divulged that while they still enjoy thanksgiving, they have gotten to the point that they really don’t like Christmas very much. My first reaction was disappointment; hearing someone actually say the words aloud. But, then I realized that I have become at least melancholy with the holiday. Simply stated, the burden has come to out-weigh the enjoyment. There is a pressure to meet some unspoken holiday performance standard. And, it grows bigger and more grandiose each year. But I am not going to carry on about this lament of Christmas. I wager that just about everybody has had these thoughts or heard them spoken.
What I miss is the old magical feeling that used to grow in me every December since I was old enough to hunt for hidden presents in the house. There was always this deep warmth that had several sources: great home cooked meals, trays and bowls of sweets, tangerines, warm beds, decorations, anticipation, caroling, family. But in the last few years the magic seems to have weakened.
This year, however, I have seen some of the twinkle return. I was walking through our little mall and noticed the tree that was on display in the central hall. It had dozens of white cards hanging from its branches. Each card had the name and wish list of a local child who is in the children services program; children who will probably not have a decent meal on Christmas day let alone gifts to unwrap. So, I picked two off of the tree. They were for little boys, 3 and 6 years old. The next day I was in Walmart to buy some utilitarian stuff and wandered into the toy section. I started planning my gift list for my newly acquired charges: that cool looking scooter says that it is for ages 3-5, of course he’ll need a helmet, wow look at all of this cool Lego stuff, every kid could use some warm snow pants and gloves…you get the picture.
I didn’t buy anything yet, I’m saving that for Friday. But the vision of those little boys ripping through the wrappings, grinning ear to ear and feeling like they matter has brought back some of the anticipation that I’ve almost lost for this magical time of the year.
Comments (3)
Wow. Now THAT is definitely the way to get the twinkle back. Over here in the ‘still have the first gen kids to engage,’ we have plenty of twinkle going. And I can even enjoy it (between panting as I struggle to keep up with the holiday pace – erg).
So glad to get a chance to read your comments again.
I don’t think the Christmas season ever could get as wonderful as it was when preparing for our 3 kids’ Christmas 4 decades ago but I take pleasure in seeing our bright Kroger poinsettias in the window against the grey outside and the cheerful tiny colored lights (LED, of course!) in a halo over the dining room table. Not to mention the pleasure of picking out next season’s seeds from the seed catalog. Come visit!
@liriodendron -
Thank you for the comments. I will indeed come and visit. I hope you and those grandchildren (and WTB) enjoy a little magic this Christmas.