Christmas – Terri LaBonte- Reinventing Myself in Retirement

Spreading The Elf

Those of you who have been traveling through life with me over the past several years know that December is elf of the shelf month in my house. Every morning, Max hides my miniature elf, Kringle, somewhere in the great room at the front of my house. I search for him each day and, boy, does he get into some mischief. Kringle is very, very little, He is about as long as my thumb and about half the width of my thumb. Unfortunately, because he is so small and his limbs tend to be a bit delicate, he has had a few amputations over the years. He has lost bits of appendages, which makes him even smaller. His size makes it extremely easy for him to hide in places where he is almost undetectable. Sometimes, I need a lot of hints. This year, though, I’ve been hot on the Kringle trail most mornings. Both Max and I look forward to playing our elf game. It makes me quite giddy. Yes, I am very, very weird.

But maybe I am not the only one who is very, very weird. Two of my friends are intrigued by my elf adventures. They asked me to text them pictures each morning to show what Kringle was up to. We have invented quite the elaborate mythology around the process.

One morning, Kringle was at the bottom of a Moscow mule cup and another morning, he hid in a double shot glass. We decided the all-night benders had to stop and recommended that it was time for an intervention. The next day, he obviously felt he needed wise counsel and hid in the pages of my devotional booklet. Another day, he was trying to read the Bible, but his hands were too tiny to open the book. We took him on our annual Disney holiday vacation, and, on the last day, he was obviously ready to go home because he was hiding in my open purse. Once, he was sitting in the corner, behind the sliding shutters in the dining room, facing the wall. We decided he must have been misbehaving in elf school. On another morning, he was hiding behind one of the legs of our kitchen table. I said it was a lucky thing it did not take me long to find him because it took me pretty much all day to get up again after wiggling myself down to find him. My elf-finding skills may be improving with age, but my elf-retrieval skills are not!

I am glad that my friends are enjoying Kringle’s adventures with me. Sometimes, in the weird world within my brain, it can feel kind of lonely. After all, I cannot expect upstanding, reasonable adults to understand my obsession with a three-inch piece of plastic. It is nice to know that other people do live in Weird World, too. Or maybe that is going a bit too far. Maybe no one else really lives in my Weird World, but I love it when they come to visit!

Have a holly, jolly, very merry Christmas! Here’s to Kringle and spreading the cheer… one elf at a time!

Kringle had a hard night and woke up at the bottom of a Moscow Mule mug! He needs an intervention!

What is your weirdest Christmas tradition? Please share your perspective by leaving a comment. In the alternative, you can email me at terriretirement@gmail.com.

Have a very merry, holly jolly Christmas, everybody!!!!

Terri/Dorry 😊

Merry Christmas, One And All!

I must admit that it is sometimes difficult to wish quite so many people quite so much merry.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Christmas and all that goes with it. It is just that it gets so “peoply” out there at this time of year. I can remember how time between Thanksgiving and Christmas used to drag when I was a kid. Now, the festive season of the year seems to go racing past at a dangerous speed as we all try to get our holly on at the same time. Not only is the road to Christmas a superhighway with no apparent speed limit, it is also a highly congested superhighway. As I navigate my fully packed calendar, trying to cram all the jolly possible into a few short weeks, I am regularly dismayed by the endless number of people I must dodge.

I am a bit spoiled because the “Christmas rush” of people was non-existent last year because of COVID. I was out and about and trying to enjoy some festivities in as safe a manner as possible, but most of the rest of the world was still buttoned up. This year, it is something of a free-for-all. I am vaccinated and boosted, as are most of the people I know. Mask mandates and social distancing requirements are becoming less suffocating. Clearly, most of the country feels safe enough to engage with the world again. They all seem to be engaging with it at the same time I am.

I am happy that life is starting to get back to normal. Or, should I say, I am happy the life is going through another one of the “safer” cycles. I have been lulled into thinking normalcy was right around the corner a couple of times over the past twenty months. I was getting ready to have a mask-burning party at one point. Luckily, I stayed my hand. Now, I am even considering buying more masks. The huge wardrobe of masks I purchased in the first nine months of the pandemic are starting to get threadbare. Also, my buying more masks could ensure that there is never a need for masks again. That is the way I roll. It is hard to know what to do when COVID trends are so incredibly fickle.

Despite the lack of certainty, many people have decided to just venture out into the world. And I keep tripping over them.

In my neighborhood, pre-COVID, there was always a significant uptick in traffic between October and May. I live in a community where snowbird migration is a real thing. I am not complaining about traffic because I come from Southern California. Even winter traffic here is for amateurs. Still, it was always noteworthy when the migration occurred each year. Once COVID happened, snow birding stopped. People stayed put wherever they were, north or south. Traffic in central Florida stayed stable. In fact, it decreased because so many people were staying home until they could be vaccinated. This week our winter influx of people has returned with a vengeance.

A week ago, Max and I went on our annual holiday mini-vacation at Disney World. On our last trip to Disney World before we moved to Florida, I grew sad when I realized that I might never stay overnight at Disney World again. Max reminded me that living only forty miles from the most magical place does not mean you are banned from reserving hotel rooms. Disney will happily take our money whether we live across the country or across the street. Starting in 2015, we have spent one or two nights in early December on property. I love being able to see the decorations, lights, and special shows without having to think about driving home in the dark after tramping around a theme park all day.

It was a strange trip in 2020. Although the parks had re-opened with COVID safety measures in place, many hotels and restaurants were still closed. Some of the experiences we love during Disney Christmas were not operational. As far as I am concerned, socially distanced lines should be a forever thing at Disney. Forcing people to keep six feet away from each other and OUT OF MY PERSONAL SPACE was a boon to my comfort level. No kids stepping on the backs of my ankles. No being belted by somebody’s backpack. No co-mingling of oxygen. On the other hand, the quiet was a little spooky. It felt almost furtive to scuttle around in relatively empty parks.

As our trip approached in 2021, we were looking forward to a more “pre-COVID-like” experience. Our favorite resort reopened. Disney was again offering a version of their Candlelight Processional show, which is my favorite thing about a Disney Christmas. In looking through the various Disney food blogs, I saw gingerbread of every ilk on a variety of menus. While some experiences are still not back, the vast majority of our typical Disney holiday trip were again in the offing.

What I did not expect, however, was that the crowds were also back. Let me rephrase that. I did expect that the crowds would be back; I just did not expect that the entire free world would be spending the first week of December at Disney World. I have been to Disney many, many times. I have even been to Disney World the weekend before the 4^th of July. Never have I experienced the crowds that we slugged our way through during this trip. Luckily for us, we have annual passes and make many trips a year, so we had no huge agenda for this trip other than seeing the holiday decorations and watching the Candlelight Processional. The crowds, while a bit oppressive to maneuver, were not really a barrier to doing what we wanted to do. It was just an odd experience to see SO MANY PEOPLE.

In retrospect, it makes sense. All the folks who typically take trips once a year or so have been incubating at home for the past two years. They have been bursting with energy, desire for distraction, and entertainment budget dollars. We probably had not only this year’s Disney Christmas crowd, but last year’s as well.

It is taking me a long time to write this piece. Typically, when that happens, it is because something isn’t setting right with me. In reading over what I’ve written so far, I realize I am sounding whiny and ungrateful. I do not mean to be. I am excited to see the world come back to life. Plowing through crowds at Disney is a first world problem of the highest order, both from a global geopolitical perspective and a COVID perspective.

I can certainly handle an excess of people if it means that the world is safer and that the economy is healthier.

The thing is, I am not certain that the world is coming back to life. I fear getting duped again. Last spring, when COVID numbers were falling, I happily slipped into celebration as we started to engage with each other in real life again. Only a few weeks later, the COVID catastrophe grew new legs and shut us down even tighter than before. Now, as we unmask again, I find myself waiting for the other shoe to drop. Indeed, the omicron variant is increasing the COVID case numbers again. I know we are cautiously optimistic that this variant, while very contagious, may not be as severe as the prior variants. It still seems pretty overwhelming. Just at a time when I should be feeling hopeful, I despair of ever feeling normal again.

My life coach explained something about anxiety to me. He said that anxiety is always future-focused. Anxiety is about wondering what I will do or how I will handle a situation if it happens. I don’t have to wonder about what I will do or how I will manage something that is in the present- I am already doing and handling, so there is no need to wonder. Maybe there is a lesson in this revelation that applies to my COVID despair this Christmas.

Maybe it is time to enjoy the merry right now and stop worrying about whether it will be snatched away tomorrow. Yes, be careful. Keep my vaccination boosted, as necessary. Mask up if the COVID statistics so suggest. Stop passing the peace at church if the need arises. But for now, stop thinking of COVID as either ongoing or over. Just enjoy the pause.

How are you feeling about the COVID progression? What was COVID-19 is about ready to be COVID-22. How do we keep living through this apparently never-ending pandemic? Please share your perspective by leaving a comment. In the alternative, you can email me at terriretirement@gmail.com.

Happy Holidays!

Terri/Dorry 😊

It’s Gift-Giving Time!

I am here today to provide a Public Service Announcement. I may be too late for Hannukah, but I want to take a little stress off your minds as you consider Christmas presents for your nearest and dearest.

Books are wonderful presents! You can order them from Amazon and have them delivered directly to your giftee. No extra trips to the post office. You do not even need wrapping paper. I understand that this might seem a little sterile and impersonal, but I have a way to make this “unwrapped, delivered by a third party” gift the most meaningful gift your giftee has ever received. When you see that the gift has been delivered… because God bless Amazon…, you can either contact the recipient and tell them to put the package under the tree or you can have them open it, depending on how tied up in tradition your jingle bells are. Then, either at that time (if the person is opening the gift then) or on Christmas (if the Amazon package is waiting patiently under someone’s tree), send a supplemental email or text that explains specifically why you chose that particular book for the giftee. This explanation could demonstrate a shared bond or memory with the recipient, something special you admire about the giftee, a sincere wish for them in the coming year, or some other information that shows the recipient just how special he or she is to you. This is how you infuse individuality into what may seem to be an uninspired gift. Some recipients may even print out your explanation and house it in the book. Or, if you are at all crafty, you could make a bookmark with the explanation on it, and either give it to the person when you see them or put it in a regular mail envelope.

Now, if you want some suggestions on what books to give…

I have two books that are available on Amazon. My first book, Changing My Mind: Reinventing Myself In Retirement, would be perfect for someone who is considering starting their own post-career adventure. It would even work well for someone who is not ready to retire but sees that day on the horizon or someone who isn’t thinking about retirement but is dealing with a lot of change in his or her life. I tend not to be proud of anything I do, but I’m really proud of this book. It is funny, poignant, and practical. I thought it was out of print, but I just tried ordering it on Amazon as an experiment. The copy I ordered will be in my mailbox next week. The other book, Random (A)Musings is full of funny stories and bizarre observations about life. I remember reading a cartoon one time that had the tagline, “Bravo for life’s little ironies.” Random (A)Musings is all about life’s little (and big) ironies. I authored this book during the first disorienting weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. It helped a lot to find things about which to laugh. It also helped to remember, that most of us have a lifetime of practice at successfully navigating random, odd misadventures. COVID is just one more.

You can buy either or both of these volumes through Amazon. You can buy as many copies for as many people as you like. I certainly won’t stop you.

Gladsome Gift-Giving. You’re welcome.

Do you think books are good gifts? Do you have any special ways you personalize them? Please share your perspective by leaving a comment. In the alternative, you can email me at terriretirement@gmail.com.

Have a giving day!

Terri/Dorry 😊

Christmask

The other day, I received a package from a dear friend of mine in California. I opened it to find a Santa Claus Christmas ornaments. Nothing unusual or noteworthy about that, you say. The world is rife with Santa Claus ornaments. What was unusual and noteworthy was the fact that Santa Claus was wearing a mask.

We have been constantly figuring out new ways of living due to the pandemic for almost a year now. As a society, I guess we are becoming adept enough at it to celebrate the festive season of the year despite danger of contagion. After all, if Santa Claus is going to visit all the good little boys and girls all over the world, damn straight he better be wearing a mask.

It beats the Santa I saw in the mall the other day. Instead of a mask, he was wearing a clear plastic face shield. The thing was, it was fitted so close to his face that the curvature of the plastic and the reflection of the lights caused a lot of distortion. It created an overall effect that was pretty disturbing. I am certain that Santa terrified a lot of small children. Sadly, children have become used to friendly faces partially concealed by masks. I don’t think that any of us will ever get used to a Santa who looks like a malevolent alien.

It isn’t just Santa. I am going Christmas caroling tonight. We will be singing through masks. Rather than gathering cozily in doorways, we will be spreading out on front lawns like blow-up ornaments. I am sure that many, many neighbors will be hearing us. Even if they don’t want to. A friend was saying the other day that she always bakes Christmas cookies for her grandchildren, and this is the first year she has to mail them. She is earnestly seeking packing solutions to ensure the cookies arrive as cookies and not as boxes of crumbs. I guess, when you are in a pandemic, that is the way the cookie crumbles. A cast member at Disney was telling me that she is shopping for her niece, who lives locally, but her sister insists that she mail the presents. She must also send them at least a week early so her sister can quarantine them for a few days before putting them under the tree. Even Kringle, my miniature elf on the shelf, has been more socially distant this year. This morning, Max had to give me clues that narrowed down his position with the pinpoint accuracy of laser surgery before I could find him.

People are more isolated this year. Most folks will not be traveling or even seeing all the family and friends with whom they usually celebrate. Some people who find comfort and joy in attending church services with others will be sitting at home in front of the television or computer, passing the virtual peace to their fellow congregants.

I am tired of masks. I am tired of distance. I am tired of not hugging. I am tired of having to rethink everything I do to try to safely retain some semblance of my humanity. The Christmas season sort of accentuates the issues. On the other hand, it is also exciting and hopeful to see how far we have come. Many of us are coming up with ways of continuing to live a normal life in a safe manner. The COVID-19 numbers are not decreasing. In fact, they are spiking significantly where I live. However, treatments seem to be improving and fewer people seem to be getting very sick. We can see a suite of approved vaccines on the horizon, even though it may be several months before most of us can obtain one. All of this is hopeful news, during a season when hope is a hallmark. So, we try to do our best to rejoice in what we have, look forward to a better future, and give thanks for all our blessings…. From a distance.

It is also important to remember the true meaning of Christmas and that the future is not just tomorrow or next year. For those of us who believe in God’s promises, we have an eternity of joy before us. I am pretty sure there will be no masks in heaven. The real hope in a Christmas season filled with masks and distances and touch prohibitions is that God is never socially distant. The baby who was born in Bethlehem so many centuries ago reaches out to touch our hearts and souls every day. It is okay to hug back!

christmas decoration on tree — Doesn’t the blue mask make his handsome eyes pop?

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the season, in whatever way brings you satisfaction, safety, and delight! What are you doing differently this year? Please share your perspective by leaving a comment. In the alternative, you can email me at www.terrilabonte.com.

Have a holly jolly day!

Terri/Dorry 🙂

Silent Wednesday

Today is Christmas Day. All around the world, people are celebrating. Some people are not celebrating. All I really wish for this Christmas is that everyone who is lost or lonely or sad or angry or hungry or thirsty or cold or ill… or is suffering in any way… will experience some flicker of the Light that is the Christmas miracle. I don’t know why some people are so broken and bruised and others seem to have an easier time, but I do know that no one is completely unscathed in life. We all need something…. And we all have something to give. And sometimes what we need is to give.

I’ve spent a lot of time this season talking about holiday traditions and my own somewhat kooky ho-ho-hoing. Today, I’m going to let Christmas just be a Silent Night… and a silent morning and a silent afternoon and a silent evening. It is more important that you pay attention to what is in your heart today than what is in mine.

Blessed Christmas to all! May you find peace, love, and joy in your sacred silence.

My warmest wishes and prayers to all of you this Christmas Day! May you be blessed with faith, hope, and love at Christmas and always. Please feel free to leave a comment, sharing your Christmas wishes.

Merry Christmas!

Terri/Dorry 😊

Christ-más Traditions

Most of us have heard the slogans “Jesus Is The Reason For The Season” and “put Christ In Christmas.” I first heard them as a child, so they have been around for quite some time. I thought they were snappy reminders that Christmas is more than Santa Claus and eight tiny reindeer. After all, Clement Moore did not invent Christmas; God did. And Christmas is just one chapter in the wonderful story of God’s love for us.

I don’t want to dismiss the merry moments that we enjoy as part of our ho-ho-holidays. Most of us cherish memories of family traditions and secularized celebrations of Christmases past. We also cherish the beauty and mystery of the Nativity- the unimaginable wonder of the birth of a Savior who would bring an eternal Light to a World suffering in darkness. We understand that the true meaning of Christmas fills the heart with way more warmth than the most sentimental Hallmark Christmas movie. We understand that the true meaning of Christmas is a more miraculous gift than the most elaborately wrapped Christmas present. We understand that the true meaning of Christmas is about more pure Joy than the shiniest Christmas tree can provide. We know that Jesus is the reason for the season, and we put Christ in Christmas.

I still don’t want to give up my secular Christmas traditions. It is fun to decorate for Christmas. I get giddy about hunting for my elf on the shelf. I disregard my regrettable lack of musical talent when I go Christmas caroling. I love dedicating some special festive time with friends and family, allowing overwhelming waves of affection and gratitude to wash over me. I enjoy giving and receiving presents. I willed myself into believing in Santa Claus until I was eleven years old, so it is unlikely that I will kick him to the curb at this late date.

I think we can center Christmas on Christ and still enjoy favorite secular traditions. In fact, I think we can enjoy those secular traditions even more by making them Christ-más (more Christ) traditions. With a few simple hacks, we can enrich some of our more familiar secular traditions with fortified Christmas spirit.

For instance, it is easy to add the true meaning of Christmas to our holiday decorating. There are all kinds of beautiful Nativity decorations. Also, some families make a Jesse tree early in Advent. A Jesse tree is named after the reference in Isaiah 11:10 which indicates that the Savior will spring from the root of Jesse. The tree is usually leafless and scraggly looking, much like a tree in the desert battling against the harsh earthly elements and holding on to life only by a strong root. It is decorated with ornaments that tell the story of salvation. The ornaments may include symbols from the Old Testament, like Joseph’s coat and Noah’s ark, as well as ornaments depicting important events in the life of Jesus, such as the Star of Bethlehem, the dove, and the cross.

If a family likes their elf-hunting or opening boxes on an Advent calendar to reveal candies or toys, it might be a good idea to incorporate other “readiness” activities during Advent. Some Advent calendars reveal Scripture quotes or part of the Nativity story each day rather than candy or toys. In my case, I have an advent wreath. Each night, I light the weekly number of candles and read a devotion. The time leading up to Christmas is about building excitement and getting ready to welcome our Savior. There is nothing wrong with hunting for elves on the shelves, but why not also spend some time exciting the soul, as well?

There are many Christmas carols that focus on the birth of Jesus. I think we are sometimes a bit tentative about those songs, as if we might offend people who are not believers. I guess it is good to be sensitive, but that doesn’t mean we should keep our love of Christ hidden. I remember caroling one year when we visited a house where a Jewish man lived. We were somewhat reluctant to sing Christmas songs because he didn’t celebrate Christmas. We went ahead and I was so glad we did because he was so touched. He even thanked us for generously sharing our joy and tradition with him.

Spending time with family and friends at Christmas is wonderful. There are plenty of people who don’t get to share Christmas with loved ones. We can celebrate Christ-más by enlarging our family circle to include an outsider. Hospitality is a gift of the Holy Spirit and love is always meant to be given away. Giving love away to people who are not in our immediate network of friends and family can make our Christmas more joyous and more Christlike.

There is nothing wrong with presents, either. I love shopping to find just the right gift for people and I enjoy the surprise of opening a package addressed to me. I do think it is valuable to add one more gift under the tree, though. You can wrap up a check to your church or organization that provides comfort to the suffering in the world and open it on Christmas Day to remind you that being able to give to others is a wonderful gift in itself.

Then, there is Santa Claus. I’ve always loved the rendition of Santa Claus kneeling, hat in hand, before the Baby Jesus. It reminds me that Jesus, not Santa, is truly the Spirit of Christmas. This year, I think Santa is going to bring Scripture cards to stuff in the stockings, in addition to the ubiquitous sugar plums.

This year let’s take “Keep Christ in Christmas” to the next level. Let’s infuse our secular holiday with Christ-más.

Merry Nativity, everyone!

Precious Lord,

Thank you for all Your many blessings. Help us to keep You at the center of our Christmas celebrations and the center of our lives. The only gift we simply must have this Christmas is Your love in our lives. Come into our lives and share Your light with us. May we bear that Light to the world, to the glory of Your name.

In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Your turn… what Christmas traditions do you observe? Please share your perspective by leaving a comment. In the alternative, you can email me at terriretirement@gmail.com.

Have a joyful day!

Terri/Dorry

Second Christmas

I woke up this morning with a heart so heavy it felt like it was dangling lethargically somewhere in the vicinity of my left kidney.

Everyone says that the first year after losing a loved one is the hardest. I can certainly understand that. All through the tail end of 2017 and 2018, the “firsts” bombarded me. I experienced my first birthday without my mother. I experienced my first Christmas holiday season without my mother. I experienced my first Mother’s Day without my mother. I experienced August 22, which was my mother’s birthday, for the first time without her. I experienced the first anniversary of her death.

In addition, there were many challenging activities related to her death that I had to plow my way through in that first year. I told friends and relatives of her passing. I arranged for her cremation. I packed up her personal items from the nursing facility. I scattered her ashes. I applied for life insurance proceeds. I closed out her affairs.

Now that I am in the second year of orphanhood, I expected life to get a little easier to bear. For the most part, I think it has. It has been a year filled with a certain harshness that has been hard to overlook. On the other hand, it has been a year of great satisfaction in some ways. I’ll be writing more about that next week.

However, the Christmas season this year has been much harder on my psyche than I thought it would be. At first, the sadness surprised me, but I came to realize it makes perfect sense.

Last Christmas, I expected to miss my mother bitterly. I knew I would feel bereft and broken. In a world where most people love Christmas, my mother was a uniquely committed Yule-a-phile. She never met a Christmas decoration she didn’t like. She purchased truckloads of presents. She gathered her family to her heart like toys in Santa’s sleigh and draped us with holly. She let her wacky side run wild, embracing oddball traditions and creating serendipitous surprises.

People who know me would say that description sounds a lot like me. Trust me, the angel doesn’t fall far from the Christmas tree. I am only a faded carbon copy of my mother and her addiction to all things ho-ho-holiday.

Strangely, I floated through the holiday season last year without unbearable pain. There certainly were times when I was sad, but, for the most part, I managed well. I was easy on myself, anticipated moments of grief, and allowed my Christmas season to be gentler and more peaceful than usual. I cocooned myself in the warmth of that gentleness and enjoyed that kind of Christmas. It wasn’t that I tried to avoid celebrating Christmas because the whole holiday thing reminded me too much of my loss. I just settled into enjoying simplicity and doing whatever felt appealing in the moment.

Last year, my mother’s death was still so fresh. I felt shell shocked. I was processing my grief through a veil of relief that my mother wasn’t suffering anymore and that the job of accompanying her as she died little by little was finally done. I think my psyche was more wrapped up in the close of that painful chapter than in the close of the entire book of my mother’s life. I was so glad to turn the page that I didn’t fully experience the sinister finality of slamming of the book’s cover.

This year, the finality of the loss has had time to resurface in my brain. I am no longer as vague and relieved as I was last year. I just miss my mom being with me and doing the things we used to do. As a result, this holiday season has felt much sadder. And I think that is a good thing.

One of my biggest fears when my mother was ill was that all the difficult times and suffering were overlaying the lifetime of joyful memories I had with my mother. I felt like I was not only losing my mother in death, but that I was losing who she had always been in life because I could no longer fully experience the joyful memories. If you’d like to read more about that fear, you can visit my blog post I Miss My Momma. You can access that post by clicking this link:

I Miss My Momma

I think my sadness in this holiday season has to do with the joyful memories returning to take their rightful place in my mind and heart. You can’t miss what you don’t know, right? I think the fact that I am sad that my mother isn’t here to “do Christmas” with me means that I am remembering and cherishing the times we had when we were together. I’m okay with that. There is nothing that can change the fact that my mother died. There is nothing that can change the fact that most everyone will go through the death of one or more parents in their life. There is nothing that can change the fact that it is sad when we miss the people we love. Since there is nothing we can do to change any of that, I’d much rather be sad sometimes than forgo the joy of remembering and re-experiencing the happy times!

To all of you are experiencing loss this Christmas, may you be blessed with peace, hope, and joy. That is what Christmas really means. In a Christian perspective, it is about the beginning of our redemption by Jesus. In a secular perspective, it is about allowing the warmth and love of this world to fill your heart and comfort you. Please allow my warmth and love for you travel through cyberspace to fill your heart and comfort you.

Terri/Dorry 🙂

A Corny (But Heartfelt) Christmas Poem

C is for the Christ Child who came to bring us Light,

To lead us to eternal joy in His mercy and His might.

H is for the holly hanging on the walls

Green and red festooning, decking all the halls.

R is for reindeer that bring Santa’s sleigh,

Hauling all the presents that we open Christmas Day.

I is for icicles on the tree’s limbs

Sparkling even when all the light dims.

S is for Santa who brings treats and toys

To delight all good little girls and boys.

T is for trimming- trees, gifts, or halls

With tinsel and garland and bright Christmas balls.

M is for mistletoe and kisses we steal

With love and affection and special Yule zeal.

A is for angel on top of the tree,

Glittering, sparkling… as bright as can be.

S is for salvation- Christ’s mission on earth.

The way to the cross began on the day of His birth.

Christmas is a big concept. I think there is plenty of room in Christmas for secular tradition and festivity. I enjoy the ho ho ho and the fa la la. For me, though, Christmas begins and ends with Jesus.

Have a happy and holy Christmas! Yuletide blessings to you and yours.

Merry Christmas! Please join my cyberspace Christmas party. Feel free to leave a comment to share your Christmas good wishes and memories. In the alternative, you can email me at terriretirement@gmail.com. Oh, and by the way, please help yourself to some virtual gingerbread!!!!

Terri :-0 Holy Night!

Christmas Can Be Hazardous To Your Health

Don’t get me wrong. I love Christmas. I also love grizzly bears, but I don’t necessarily think it is safe to engage with them.

There are numerous holiday-related injuries that can detract from the fun and frivolity of the Christmas season. I’m going to mention a few of them so you can be on the lookout, if you insist on tempting fate and celebrating a holly jolly season this year.

The other day, I was innocently decorating my Christmas trees (yes, I do have more than one… what’s it to ya?) and happened to look down. There was a stream of blood running down my arm, apparently the result of some tree assembly mishap. I’m not sure how it happened. My trees are not huge. In fact, it occurred to me that, even if one of them should come tumbling down directly on my head, they did not weigh enough to render me concussed. Still, I somehow managed to stab myself with fake pine needles and break the skin. You’ll be happy to know I avoided stitches. I did, however, need a band-aid.

I threw several strings of battery-operated lights around the holly trees in front of my house. I wasn’t interested in appearing on The Great Christmas Light Fight or anything. I just didn’t want to be the only neighbor without holiday illumination. Since I didn’t really care how the lights looked, it was not necessary to balance on a ladder. I’ve seen a lot of people in the community perching precariously on ladders, stapling lights to their roofs. I’m sorry, but I think if you live in an over-55 community, you are just tempting fate the minute you step on a ladder. The lights in my holly trees are battery-operated and have timers, so I am now free to ignore them until it is time to put them away in January. I do have two faceted green disco-ball kind of things that project moving green polka dots onto the face of the house. These, alas, have neither batteries or timers. I had to get extension cords, which seemed relatively hazard-free. However, every evening I have to plug the lights in and unplug them when I go to bed. Max is certain that I will be attacked by lizards, frogs, and snakes when I prowl around the yard unplugging cords.

I also think I may have developed a tinsel allergy at some point. Every time I’ve decorated a tree in the past few years, I’ve ended up with a cold or other respiratory ailment of some such ilk. I end up spending several days sneezing and coughing and feeling like I’ve swallowed spiders. I mentioned this to a friend of mine who reported that just about everyone has that reaction. She said she thought it was from the dust that collects on the Christmas tree and decorations while they languish in the garage from January until November. That may sound reasonable to some of you, but I believe it is more nefarious and personal than that. I’ve decided that I must be allergic to sparkle. Unless I’m allergic to Christmas in general. I’m not willing to go that far, however.

There are also the health issues surrounding the consumption of special holiday treats. We’ve all heard horror stories of people who have ended up in the emergency room with food poisoning on Christmas because somebody thought cooking a turkey overnight at 150 degrees was a great idea. I personally know several people who have been injured when falling fruitcake hit their feet. Just saying. Then there is my own personal vulnerability. People who jog can get shin splints. People who play tennis can get tennis elbow. People who eat gingerbread as a hobby are susceptible to ginger-pudge. This is a serious condition that causes a thickened waist and a pair of bloated hips. Yes, it is only a season disorder, but its effects can be cumulative year after year.

Yes, Christmas can be dangerous. Maybe we should avoid seasonal celebration the way we avoid smoking, drinking, extreme sports, and taking toddlers on long airplane trips.

But then…. there is the Christmas Star that brings Light to the World. There is the good news of salvation. There is the joyful promise of peace on earth and goodwill to all.

Forget what I said. Some dangers are worth the risk. We need a little Christmas!

Have you ever suffered any Christmas-related injuries? Do tell. Please share your perspective by leaving a comment. In the alternative, you can email me at terriretirement@gmail.com.

Have an injury-free day!

Terri:-)

Ho, Ho, Whoa? No.

Some people have been complaining about Christmas creep for years. They object to the subliminal messages compelling us to be merry, freewheeling, and free spending that assault society earlier every year. I am not one of those people.

I love Christmas. Many people who deal with loss and grief find the holidays particularly difficult. I tend to take the opposite tact. In the past, when my life was crumbling and my spirits were low, I seemed to be able to take a break from my sadness to focus on Christmas activities. The sacred and secular Christmas joys gave me permission to lay my burdens aside and rest from my struggle. It was something like the famous Christmas truce in World War I. For a brief, blessed time, I could call a ceasefire in my war with my own emotions. The truce might only last long enough to sing Silent Night, but it has always been enough to heal a few cracks in my heart.

This year, with my mind buzzing with busy-ness and unquenchable desire for distraction since my mother’s death, I am finding the Christmas truce even more soothing than usual. It isn’t that I don’t miss my mother. My heart still dips down to my ankles, scrambling my stomach on its way, when I hit the sudden patches of sad turbulence that anyone who has experienced a loss understands. Still, Christmas activities help me keep my balance when I hit those patches.

I get the concern, though. Folks begin to suspect that the extended subliminal marketing of Christmas shifts the emphasis away from the holiday’s true meaning and specialness. When you start to panic about not being done with your Christmas shopping in October, it isn’t a good thing. When you realize that you have been humming “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” along with the elevator music in October, you may start to feel a little manipulated. When you can no longer buy Christmas wrapping paper at Costco in November because they started selling it in August and ran out by the end of September, it can take a little holly out of your jolly.

On the other hand, the Christmas season does provide more opportunities for people to spread a little goodwill. Of course, it is possible and desirable for people to give to charity, cherish their loved ones, and embrace kindness throughout the whole year. Sometimes, though, our day-to-day hustle and bustle takes our focus away from the loving way we truly want to live. Special holiday charity projects, dedicated time with family, Christmas shows and pageants, and even presents can be the catalyst that help us to remember and, at least for a time, shift our focus back to where we truly want it to be. Even the advertising that can seem manipulative can actually be motivating. Yes, the people who make the commercials that show a child inviting a curmudgeonly neighbor to Christmas dinner are hoping that you will buy more greeting cards or groceries or whatever they are advertising. That doesn’t mean the commercials don’t also help us remember the goodness and light that should come with Christmas.

Also, Christmas reminds us of the coming of Jesus into the world. More people attend religious services than at most times of the year. People who consider themselves “culturally Christian” may participate in church events at Christmas, even if they do not attend the rest of the year. I believe you never know when that participation might foment into a more vibrant relationship with God. Even people who are not believers celebrate a secular sort of Christmas. They understand, in at least some tangential way, that the genesis of their celebration is the story of a Baby born to bring all the world’s people eternal life, love, peace, and joy. In any celebration of Christmas, there must be some germ of Christianity. Whenever people let their minds come close to Christ, they open themselves, at least a little bit, to the possibility of feeling God’s love for them.

So, it is a question of emphasis. If we dread the early onset of Christmas because of the commercialism, stress, and coveting, Christmas creep is a bad thing. On the other hand, if we focus on the true meaning of Christmas and try to use that message to improve the way we live in this world, Christmas can start creeping on December 26^th, as far as I am concerned!

What do you think? Does Christmas creep bother you? Please share your perspective by leaving a comment. In the alternative, you can email me at terriretirement@gmail.com.

Have a very merry day!

Terri 🙂