Happy New Year to you! I always enjoy ringing in the new year. Not because we do anything special, but because we don’t. We don’t go out and party on New Year’s Eve, we don’t stay up until midnight and we don’t have a hangover the next morning. The end of a year is a chance to reflect. A time to review the last 12 months – the highs, as well as the lows. And more importantly, it is a chance to take some quiet time to consider the future.
For me, the very best thing about a new year is an opportunity for fresh starts. It is a mark on the calendar that reminds us to stop and think about our lives and how we want to move forward. It is a time to decide what we want to carry over into the new year and what we want to dust off of our feet and leave behind in 2024. And while we had some wonderful times in 2024, we also had several things that I am happy to leave behind. So, bring on the new year! May your year ahead be full of precious moments and wonderful adventures.
This Christmas season I am trying to take some quiet time for solitude and reflection. Time to ponder the big and small wonders of this tangled life we live. I hope that your holiday season is full of awe, joy and precious time with those you love.
It was one of those idyllic winter mornings. We woke up to a light dusting of snow on the ground. It was a perfect day to bundle up and go cut down our Christmas tree. We live amongst hundreds of pine trees, so we can just step out our door and find the Elusive “Perfect” Christmas Tree. In all reality, our tree makes Charlie Brown’s look like it should be displayed at the White House. Every. Single. Year. But there is just something about going out and cutting your own tree that is raw and real. So, around this time each year we layer on cloths and, armed with a dull bow saw, we trudge around our property in search of the perfect adequate tree to grace our living room for the next few weeks. Yep, it is all fun and games until it is time to put the lights on the Christmas tree. Then all is merry and fight bright.
Elmer Fudd and I cutting down our Christmas tree.
Son #4 used to help Mr. U put the tree lights on every year. I have to admit that they did a great job, but I don’t need to be reminded of that when I am tangled in tree limbs and wire with pine needles in my hair. Apparently, Mr. U wishes son #4 were here to help instead of moi. Me too. It did not start out well when I opened a brand-new box of lights and half of them didn’t work. Suffice it to say, it went downhill from there. Please tell me that we are not the only ones that are not speaking to each other by the time we are done wrapping the lights around the Christmas tree.
Christmas traditions bright and dark
If you have followed my blog for very long, you know that I am a big believer in traditions. They are the cement that holds a family together. However, some traditions lean on the darker side. For example, my parents had an unwritten tradition on the 4th of July. They lived on a lake, so they usually hosted a crowd of 30+ people for an afternoon on the water, followed by a BBQ. And every year, like clockwork, they would have a minor argument over whether the pre-made burgers should be grilled frozen or thawed. I would tease them that this argument had become a yearly tradition. (What I wouldn’t give to hear that tradition just one more time.)
Like the hamburger argument, I think it is probably time to let go of the darker tradition of arguing while we wrestle to put the lights on the Christmas tree. Every year I threaten to buy a pre-lit fake tree the following year. But, like having a baby, over time you forget the pain and agony and you turn around and repeat the process. Matter of fact, we forgot as soon as all of the ornaments were on the tree, the house lights dimmed, and we had settled in to enjoy a hot buttered rum under the twinkling (albeit crooked) tree lights.
On the brighter side, there is one particular Christmas tradition that we plan to keep. It is a community event called Breakfast with Santa. Years ago, a sweet little girl named Shalena was struggling with cancer. The community volunteer fire department wanted to help and so they put on a breakfast to raise money for Shalena and her family. The fire department has continued this tradition ever since. They identify one family, typically with a child that is fighting cancer, as their recipient of the proceeds.
It is heartwarming to see how the community pulls together. The firefighters serve up a hearty breakfast and one of the previous fire fighters even orders a very specific, and delicious sausage to cook up. People and businesses in our small community create gift baskets for the raffle. And of course, as advertised, Santa is there to visit with the children. When our kids were little, we joined several other families to start a local 4-H club. One of the club’s community service projects was to bus the tables for Breakfast with Santa. While my boys were never thrilled to roll out of bed and trudge out in the cold to do this early on a Sunday morning, they were always glad they did afterwards. I was heartened to see that the 4-H club still gives their time for this event.
Giving back during the holidays is what the season is all about. It is what fills you with joy and goodwill. Unlike the local hospital’s Festival of Trees, which is also a great fundraiser but is all about glamor and glitz, Breakfast with Santa is very down to earth. The fire trucks are all pulled out of the garage, and it is transformed into a makeshift restaurant. People can show up in their pajamas or grubby clothes after shoveling walks. It isn’t about showing off your money, it is about giving back in the sincerest way.
The quilt shows some of the recipients of this fund raiser (left). Volunteers are serving up breakfast (right).Santa and Mrs. Clause with a firefighter helper.
I imagine that we all have Christmas traditions that are both light and dark. Things that fill our hearts with joy and things that do not bring out our best selves. So, whether your traditions are bright or dark, may you emerge from the season preparations whole, happy and still married.
Frost is in the air, the red kettle bell ringers are outside the stores and Amazon deliverers are working overtime. Yep, tis the season. Every year I promise myself that I will keep the season simpler. Let it be about the reason we celebrate. Let peace reign and heal our fractured souls. Let love wrap us in its warmth during this holiday of good will, generosity and kindness. Allow the season the space needed to do its magic.
Unfortunately, Christmas has lost a little bit of its magic since stores starting stocking Christmas items before Halloween and IG influencers’ holiday decorating posts are already stale. (Please don’t ask me how I know these things.) All in the name of commerce. I really try to ignore these overly anxious promoters. After all, they are just trying to make a living. But the struggle is real.
One way I do this is to hold fast to my rule to wait until after Thanksgiving to play Christmas music and decorate the house. But after Thanksgiving, it is full on Christmas. Every year I take the long weekend after Thanksgiving to decorate for the holidays. This is a carryover from when I was working full-time, and it was the only stretch of time available to spend two full days taking down fall decorations, cleaning and then putting up the Christmas ones. So last weekend, I put on the Christmas music, lit a candle and went to work.
I put the last touches on the decorations as evening settled in.
Kicking off the season
In our small town tucked up in the pines of the PNW, the season kicks off every year with a Christmas light parade and fireworks. This year, we were invited to view the festivities from a friend’s deck overlooking the city and lake. The light parade was festive, and the fireworks were heart stopping.
The parade was chilly but still drew large crowds that lined the street.Of course, a Christmas parade is not complete without Santa – or the Grinch. The crowd chanted “lock him up, lock him up” as he went by. The Grinch…not Santa.
The fireworks are let off over the lake while Christmas music blasts from huge loudspeakers.
My grands watching the fireworks in awe (left.) My other granddaughter (right) is expecting a little brother in May – blessings abound! May we all view the season through the eyes of children.
Decorating the house and enjoying the downtown festivities were wonderful ways to kick off the season. May we all remember to take time to exhale and feel the spirit of Christmas in the next few weeks.
I can’t deny it any longer. The cold weather is arriving. It did not even check with me to see if I was ready. I am not. At least mentally. However, we are prepared otherwise. The boat and camper are winterized and tucked into the shop. The firewood has been split and stacked. The sprinkler system has been blown out. The pizza oven is covered, and the outdoor chairs have been placed under shelter. Lastly, the tractor has the blade on it to plow our long, rather steep, driveway. Now we wait for the temperatures to drop and the snow to fly. It is time to cozy up.
Around this time every year I have to make an attitude adjustment. I mourn the sunshine and warmth. I miss having morning coffee outside listening to the bird’s cantata. I miss the sun casting a blanket of warmth on my shoulders. And I miss the ease of just throwing on shorts and a pair of flip flops, instead of having to bundle up with layers of cloths. But we live in the PNW and that means the days get shorter and the temperatures get colder. And colder. And colder. So, instead of fighting it, I am trying to embrace it. Because nothing is quite as beautiful as frost on the trees and a spanking new layer of snow on the ground. Attitude is everything.
Frost settles over the Tamarack trees, as fall gives way to winter. (Photo credit to my wonderful sister.)
Here in the Pacific Northwest, we get four very distinct change of seasons. I absolutely love that. The outdoors becomes this evolving canvas that you never get tired of observing. Years ago, we lived in Portland, Oregon (back when Portland was cool). It was the first time I had lived in a big city, and I was thrilled to experience something new and different. I especially loved the lush greenery that surrounded every nook and cranny of earth. But, as we soon learned, there is a price you pay for all of that vegetation… rain. Four seasons of rain: heavy rain, moderate rain, light rain and the “I am sick of rain” rain. After four years we were ready to move back closer to family and living with four distinct seasons again. Even if it meant that one of those seasons could be bitter cold and gray.
As with most things in life, it is the diversity that gives our lives texture and interest. So, in an effort to savor the art of living seasonally, I came up with a list of ten things I love about winter:
Settling into a good book on a snowy day. Spending hours reading is an indulgence that only a day snowed in at home can give me the permission to do.
Evenings by the fire listening to it crackle and pop, while I sip a glass of hot spiced wine.
The very first snow fall. Best if I am tucked away at home watching it float down and silence the earth.
Playing some Frank Sinatra music and lighting scented soy candles to create a peaceful mood.
Taking a walk in the crisp air with the sun bouncing off of the snow. The feel of the cold air on your face is invigorating and makes you feel alive.
Coming home to make a hot cup of tea in a favorite mug that my mom gave me several years ago.
Loosing track of time as I settle into my office/craft room to let my creative juices flow.
Pulling on a comfy pair of hand knit socks first thing on a chilly morning. Bonus that my friend made them for me.
Making a big pot of soup and leaving it to simmer on the stove all day. Even better if I took the time to make homemade bread or rolls to go with it. Winter is no time to be counting carbs.
One of the best gifts of winter is the holiday season. Thanksgiving and Christmas are full of precious time with family, delicious food and grateful hearts. What more could we want? Well, maybe a little sunshine to go with it.
Sorry, this picture is a little crooked. Must have been from the glass of hot spiced wine I was enjoying in front of it.
So, as the temperatures slowly drop below freezing, I am making an effort to settle into the winter months ahead. I am reminding myself of all the lovely things I enjoy about this time of year. This is the season of hygge, and I am going to melt into it. Because, as much as I complain discuss the colder weather, I honestly enjoy the unique beauty and coziness that this time of year brings with it. (At least at the beginning of the season… I will have a tough time coming up with reasons I love winter once February rolls around.) So, make a cup of hot tea or warm spiced wine, grab a good book, put your feet up by the fire and cozy up for the months ahead.
Lover of flip flops, waking up without an alarm, fireside chats, street tacos, waves lapping up on shore, creativity, family, the cork and all things garlic.