A Little Bit of Real Life Thrown In

Christmas reminds us we are not alone.  We are not unrelated atoms, jouncing and ricocheting amid aliens, but are a part of something, which holds and sustains us.  As we struggle with shopping lists and invitations, compounded by December's bad weather, it is good to be reminded that there are people in our lives who are worth this aggravation, and people to whom we are worth the same.  Christmas shows us the ties that bind us together, threads of love and caring, woven in the simplest and strongest way within the family.--Donald E. Westlake

Wow,  I've been so busy with Solstice, Yule, and Christmas postings that I've not even once touched on the happenings here in Brooklyn, New York.  As you can well imagine, it has been a busy time for me.  Granted, it has not been as hectic as it once was, but there has been enough to do  that I have to question how I ever found the time to do all the things I once did at the holidays.  All that baking; how did I ever fit it in?   Well, perhaps time is not the correct way to look at it.  Perhaps it might be better if I used the word energy.  It's not that I love the holidays any less; it's just that I just don't have that get-up and go that I had when I was younger.  

Why, I even debated setting my village up this year....and that's a biggie to me.  I've been adding a little something to this village for years now...and now it just seems like so much work to set it up.  The books must be removed from the shelves, all of the pieces of the village unwrapped and set up, and the books then packed in the box that the village was in.  I'm talking major energy expenditure.  But, for all my talk, my  family knew all along that my village would be a part of Christmas...that there was no way I could forsake it.  And I discovered an easier way of doing things.  Usually, the tree and decorations are all put up on Thanksgiving day and the day after.  This is because I always have to work on the following Monday, and I need that  Saturday and Sunday as recuperation time.  When you have chronic back problems as I do, even the most enjoyable things can set you back a few days.  Well, this year I had some vacation time that I HAD to take before the end of the year...use it or lose it.  I have to say, I played this one real smart.  I took the week after Thanksgiving off which gave me 11 days off rather than 9.  Allowed me to take it slow and easy with the decorations.  It all worked out so well that I plan to do the same thing next. year.

Presents are wrapped and under the tree.  Did it all between Friday and Saturday.  I know, I could have done it on those 11 days off, but there is something different about last minute shopping.  Can't explain it.  Now, mind you, I am one who used to have the gifts bought and wrapped before the end of October, but somewhere along the line I joined the ranks of those stressed out, last minute shoppers racing to find the perfect presents right in the nick of time.  Adrenaline kicks in, and you find yourself in a somewhat altered state of consciousness.  Addicts call it a Rush.  Actually, I had originally planned to do my shopping on my lunch hour (which I NEVER take) on Monday, but the elevator at work broke down, and I just couldn't carry those bags up the stairs.  So, I left two hours early on Friday and got it all out of the way.  And the darned elevator was out all week and continues to be out.  I haven't had this much steady exercise in years...and I sure do hope they fix this problem soon.  My old body just can't take much more of it. 

Ah, some good news to share.  My son, the eldest, has been working all week on Men in Black 3.   I'm so proud of him.  He is playing a corrections officer, and as I write this, I believe they are sending him  up in space...movie-wise, that is.  On the down side, I could have lost him the other day, and it made me realize just how tenuous our lives really are.  He was walking down the block on 14th Street in  Manhattan when suddenly, out of nowhere, he was struck in the head with a small pineapple juice can.  Now, even though small, the can had been thrown out of one of the upper floors of a high-rise building, and the impact so strong that it sliced his forehead.  He needed a butterfly to close it.  I was able to breathe a sigh of relief, but I shudder when I think of how much worse it could have been.  Had the object been something heavier, he could have been killed.  And, the worst of it is is that it was not something done without forethought.  No, this one done on purpose.  The police officers who were called to the scene stated  that someone is always throwing things down at people, but they just can't pinpoint which apartment.  For the life of me, I cannot understand why, but perhaps I watch too much Law & Order.  Maybe these crimes are NOT so easily solved.   But, let's face it, my son was one of the lucky ones.  One day these gutless wonders might kill someone.  Just another example of the evil that lurks in this world...those mindless creatures who get their kicks out of harming innocent people.  But, I am not going to dwell on them.  There is far too much good in the world, as well.   We hear so much of the violence and evildoers that we neglect that which is good and pure.

I feel  very blessed this year...blessed to be spending the holiday with those that I love and blessed to have so many new friends in my life.  It is truly the love that warms the heart.

Until one feels the spirit of Christmas, there is no Christmas.
All else is outward display--so much tinsel and decorations.
For it isn't the holly, it isn't the snow.
It isn't the tree not the firelight's glow.
It's the warmth that comes to the hearts of men
when the Christmas spirit returns again.

--Unknown--