It snowed this morning and I also received my first Christmas card of the season. You’d think that would be enough to put me in the Christmas spirit (whatever that might be), or at least make me feel like digging out my Christmas decorations, but nope. The snow melted and the sun came out and anyway, I’m not one who gets all sentimental about a white Christmas. Admittedly, snow is pretty, especially when lights are reflected in the crystals, but it makes a mess of travel, unless, of course, one is traveling in a one-horse sleigh or behind a team of Clydesdales or eight or nine reindeer. But for traveling in a car? Snow and ice are not exactly conducive to safe travels.
Come to think of it, I don’t have to drive anywhere, so perhaps a white Christmas would be nice after all.
I did think about decorating again this year as I have every Christmas since I’ve moved here, but it seems a lot of work for just myself. In previous years, I have enjoyed seeing the house lit up with my bowls of light and my tree filled with ornaments that tell the story of my life, and perhaps as the solstice comes closer, I’ll be more willing to celebrate the end of the creeping darkness if nothing else.
Or not. The problem with decorating is that one eventually has to undecorate, and that takes even more energy than decorating does. At least, with decorating, you can have the fun of seeing things that have been packed away for a year.
On the other hand, what else do I have to do? There’s no gardening work to do, though I still water the lawn occasionally when the temperatures get into the mid-fifties and there’s been no moisture, and next month I’ll have to plant my wildflower seeds, but until then, I have all those hours I used to spend gardening to fill with other things so I don’t go through gardening withdrawal.
Luckily, it’s not even December yet, so I have plenty of time to dredge up a bit of festivity. And if I don’t? Well then, I don’t.
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Pat Bertram is the author of Grief: The Inside Story – A Guide to Surviving the Loss of a Loved One. “Grief: The Inside Story is perfect and that is not hyperbole! It is exactly what folk who are grieving need to read.” –Leesa Healy, RN, GDAS GDAT, Emotional/Mental Health Therapist & Educator.
Bertram's Blog 
November 29, 2022 at 5:11 pm
It’s snowing here today–our first of the winter. Because our house is on the market I felt the staging needed to reflect the changing season, so on the weekend I put away the pot of ‘mums and the pumpkins that were on the porch in favour of an urn filled with evergreens and pinecones. And my hubby put a few outdoor lights up around the doors. It doesn’t look as festive as it has in other years, but then we don’t have the same amount of energy to devote to it as we had in other years! I think it must be okay to be content with doing only what is meaningful and right for us.
November 29, 2022 at 9:26 pm
I bet it looks nice.
You always make me feel better about what I consider my laziness. You’re right — we have to be content with doing what is meaningful and right for us. If it feels meaningful, I’ll pull out the decorations. Otherwise, I’ll be content with whatever it is that I do or don’t do.
November 30, 2022 at 8:26 am
No snow here yet, but I did get 3 & 1/2 inches of rain from the storms last night. I know how you feel about decorating, because I do too. There is no one here to appreciate or enjoy any decorating I might do IF I ever feel like it. I’ll see how the season develops.
November 30, 2022 at 11:09 am
It’s so cold here what little snow we got isn’t melting. That’s a lot of rain you got! That’s the equivalent of 30 inches of snow!