Surviving the Holidays

The "Holiday Season" is nearly over and I will be sooooo glad. Christmas is the biggest problem; Kwanza and Chanukh don't intrude on people's lives the way Christmas does. There is the sappy, too jolly music, the traffic, the angst, the irritability of many people. It's hard to do my normal food shopping because stores are so crowded. And there's candy EVERYWHERE!

In a few days, the hysteria will fade away.

There are some fun and enjoyable things about this time of year:

I send Christmas/Holiday cards to many people. There are so many people I've met or worked with over the years whom I no longer see on any kind of regular basis. Yes, I could call and talk with them and sometimes I do. But sending a card and hand-writing a short (or sometimes long) note about what's happening in my life is something that I enjoy. And given that most of the mail I (and many others) receive is either bills or requests for donations, getting a real letter is a treat.

I see most of my family. My siblings, nieces and nephews all live just far enough away from me that we don't visit regularly. On the Sunday before Christmas, everyone who can meets at my sister's for a visit and gift exchange. When my parents were alive, we met at their fairly large house. When my parents moved to a senior complex, we tried meeting at other places, but all were too small. Then one sister moved into a condo that has a community room. We eat, and chat and have a Yankee gift exchange.

We already all have all the "stuff" we need - and more; not everyone has the financial capability to buy things for such a large family. We tried drawing names and buying a gift for just one person. We tried giving gifts only to the "little ones". (Where is the line drawn?). The Yankee swap gives us a chance to find a new home for something we no longer need/want. While I sometimes end up with something else I don't need/want, I have also been gifted with an item that brings fun and joy, if only temporarily.

While it's not actually noticeable, the days are now getting longer. There will be a few months of cold and snow, but then the weather will be warmer and I'll be much happier.

And I won't have to worry about "The Holidays" for nearly a year.