“Without change nothing happens”. Probably just like you ,Thanksgiving has become the gateway to Christmas. In my youth ( yes, I was young once) the Thanksgiving feast was an event separate and apart from Christmas. Now fast forward to the twenty-first century. Yes Agnes, most of my family has their Christmas trees up and burning brightly and Turkey Day is days away. I must confess our Charlie Brown tree is up and the Star of Bethlehem is shinning brightly.
Admittedly, at eighty plus years of age decorations on the tree are like a time traveler hurtling through space. Even though we have cut back drastically on our decorations each has a memory when it is placed on the tree. Some of those memories go back decades and others are as recent as last Christmas. Like life these decorations speak of love, heart break, tears and laughter. Elvis Presley had a hit song, ” Memories”. One of the lyrics says, ” memories pressed between the pages of my mind”. So spot on.
A few years ago I posted a blog explaining how this old guy handles the stress of Christmas. Its very simple, find you a comfy chair near your tree with your beverage of choice, put on The Carpenters or Buble’ and ” count your lights”. Between the lights and decorations each is symbolic of a loved one, a memory, or maybe a quite prayer of thanks. There are lights that burn brighter than others, but it is not the illumination only the memory. There are no guidelines when counting your lights. The gamut could range from a medical trauma that almost took a loved one, or Angel wings that speak softly to you, or the loss of a nineteen year old four legged house guest that became family. Your light, your choice.
Warning! As you get settled in to ” count your lights” take a few Kleenex, you will end up laughing until you cry. Remember, ” without change nothing happens”. Maybe change is as simple as lights on a Christmas tree. Look what happened to the Grinch.
Happy Holidays–Be Safe.
Joe's Bakers Dozen 