Finding the Holiday Spirit

It's that time of year when spirits should be running high, but sometimes it's kind of hard to get into the seasonal mood. With Rebecca's recent death and lots of other things on our minds, it's been a challenge to make the transition to jolly, but we're trying. Remembering just how much Rebecca loved Christmas and the holiday season makes it a bit easier. Being in New England with Lin and her family has certainly helped. We picked out a Christmas tree the other day and began to decorate Lin's house.

We have a new grand-niece and this will be her very first Christmas … definitely something to celebrate.

I first heard, then saw the local flock of wild turkeys traipse trough Lin's yard. We see them at dawn and dusk and they always bring a smile to my face. Tuesday, Lin's cat, watched them carefully, but wisely opted to keep her distance.

It snowed the other night. Though only an inch or so, it was the first substantial snow of the season and covered the ground, frosting the evergreens, making everything white and clean … at least for awhile.

We had a tree-decorating party with just the family last Sunday, and the spirit of the season seems contagious. The excitement of new parents delighting over their baby daughter's smiles and giggles is “chicken soup for the soul”.

I've done some shopping … the minimal amount possible, but enough to fill the Christmas stockings with fun goodies.

Bring on the holidays … we're almost ready.

Life after Black Friday?

I went shopping on Black Friday. I wasn't after any deals … well, maybe a few. I read all the ads for “Doorbuster Sales” and “Black Friday Specials”, but they didn't really interest me. The local Salvos (that's Salvation Army Thrift Store to you non-thrifters) was having a 50% off everything in the store sale. I like rummaging around to see what bargains I can find. There are two Salvos close by and I visited both of them. I netted six gold and white coffee mugs (Pier 1) to go with our eclectic gold and white china set (previously purchased at a thrift shop) plus six dessert plates, lots of holiday faux-greenery for house decorating purposes, a very stylish Abercrombie & Fitch pull-over sweater and a New York & Co. zip-up jacket. Total cost: $12.67. I didn't feel guilty in the least.

When I got back to the house, I found David and Paul busy in the back yard finishing up a rather elaborate planter project they've been struggling through. They were in need of a heavy-duty stapler and staples, so I went back out to Walmart of all places … on Black Friday. Oh, my! It was bedlam. Merchandise piled high in the aisles. Kamikaze shoppers raced around with carts crammed full of stuff. Children, obviously high on sugar, screamed and ran around unsupervised. Boxes torn open. Stuff laying on the floor, long-since trampled by frenzied consumers. Interminably, long lines at the registers. What had I gotten myself into?

I fought my way bravely to the tool department which was remarkably empty. There was the Stanley Heavy Duty Stapler I needed … behind locked glass doors. As luck would have it, I spotted a Walmart employee immediately who (you'll find this hard to believe) had the key, opened the door and presented me with my stapler and appropriate staples in two minutes flat. Flabbergasted by my luck, I stumbled in a daze to the front of the store to confront the check-out lines. Lo and behold, midst all the turmoil, I spotted what appeared to be an empty line. Could it be? Without skipping a beat, Mae checked me out in a flash and I was on my way back home in record time. I might add … cost of stapler and staples $24.46. Let's weigh the enjoyment factor of each purchase. Hmmmm … I win, hands down.

So what comes after Black Friday? Why, Cyber Monday, of course. That's today, but we're not shopping on-line nor otherwise. And after that? Countdown to Christmas. We're heading to Boston in the next couple of days. We will not participate actively nor willingly in the madding crowds of consumerism. No family gift exchanging this year for us except for trinkets in our stockings. We'll indulge in family time, good wine and fine dinners at home and leave the buying and subsequent credit card debt to others and feel no regret.

Celebrating Hallowe'en

Getting dressed up and costumed for Hallowe'en was not originally in the plan. It took some convincing on Mary's and my part to get Paul and David and the folks at Rebecca's assisted living place into the Hallowe'en spirit. It's been awhile since we donned costumes and tried to scare anybody. Once we decided and got everyone on board, however, the costume train left the station. Mary had decided on her costume early and hit all the key shops while the selection was at its best. She took Paul shopping one day and they came home with a costume for him, as well as Hallowe'en decorations for the front yard and inside the house, too. Mary also did some shopping for Rebecca and Rebecca's friends, Darrell and “Aunt Mary”, so everyone had a costume on Hallowe'en day. David and I kind of dragged our feet deciding on our costumes, but once we did we hit all the local thrift stores and managed our costumes and all accessories for under $15 for the both of us. Parsimonious are us!

Paul, the hardest to convince about the whole dress-up thing, ended up being the most excited and it was contagious. He started early on Hallowe'en morning with his make-up and the results were appropriately frightening.

Rebecca decided to be a “flapper”, very much in keeping with her age. Mary applied her make-up and we helped her with her costume. Rebecca acted the part without difficulty. She was stunning! Darell won the best costume prize however, with his Charlie Chaplin costume and imitation. It turned out, he'd been practicing the Chaplin walk and the cane twirling all week.

The family portrait looked a bit different than usual.

Though a fine time was had by all at Rebecca's place, we drove home feeling like we should be enjoying our costumes more. Mary and Paul shouted “Boo!” out the car window a few times, but most folks ignored them … after all, this is Las Vegas. We don't know our new neighbors or anyone else in Las Vegas well enough to have a party at the house. We settled on trying to scare trick-or-treaters at the door (very unsuccessfully, I might add) and watching The Legend of Sleepy Hollow on the tube. We were in bed by 10pm. Sigh!

Early the morning after, we collected all the Hallowe'en paraphernalia from the yard and gathered up all the costumes and accessories and packed them away till next year. We've got to get better at this celebrating thing. Maybe next year.