And all through the house,
I began stirring
As soon as I roused.
Well... I may have mentioned that there was a time when I considered a career as a poet. In college, my poetry contained pools of angst populated with 'deep' thoughts pulled from the depth of my psyche. Reading them now I am reminded of an emotional prison-break through a swamp. Give me a break. It was college. And I was one of those English majors.
I suspect roused, as a word, might be a bit antiquated. Wasn't Ebenezer Scrooge roused from sleep when visited by Marley and the subsequent spirits? I am pretty sure it doesn't exactly rhyme with house. But, these days, I think my poetry would lean a bit more towards Calvin Trillin's. Or my favorite contemporary poet, Billy Collins (read The Reverent by him sometime. It gives you a whole new perspective on dog ownership).
Here at Casa de Bronte, Christmas starts immediately after Thanksgiving dinner. But this year, it didn't start until this morning when I got up early, and made tea, pouring it into my favorite Christmas mug. I took the mug, my laptop, and The New York Times back to bed with me. I propped up all of the pillows, hit A Charlie Brown Christmas on my iPod, and began to write this post.
It is a brilliantly sunny day. We finally had rain Tuesday night, and yesterday's sky was filled with gorgeous cottony clouds clustered in every direction you looked. I am always thankful for clouds, even more so than sunsets. And I looked around in awe as we drove up the 405 towards our friends' home. But, back to today. Once I get itchy to get up and get going, I will begin to pull boxes and my small Christmas tree out of closets and begin decorating the house for the coming holiday. There will be clusters of bells on doorknobs, and a big wooden advent calendar with spaces for chocolates behind each door. As people come to visit, they get to open the door for that day. And each one plays a Christmas tune. I can't stand it, it's so adorably silly. I will be using Christmas pot holders, towels, and napkins. And Santa Claus will appear all all over the house. Following my aunt's tradition, I started to collect large Santas and have purchased one each year, mostly from Gump's.
Christmas is hard for many, and was a major struggle for me for several years. And, truth be told, it is still a struggle; the struggle to be mindful and keep your thoughts, like a rudder, straight ahead and in the moment. Frankly, with the recent, local mass shooting, it is more of a battle than a struggle. But, I work at it hard. And, as time passes, I am more and more able to keep the dread down, which, so far, makes the coming holiday feel less insurmountable than it has felt in recent years. And I constantly remind myself that it also can be such a lovely time of year. I love attending Mass during the Advent Season. I love hearing the choir and singing the familiar carols. And I plan to attend an evening event of Christmas music at the church I attend.
Last year, Joel and I went to a staged radio show reading of Miracle on 34th Street at The Pasadena Playhouse. It starred Alfred Molina and Peri Gilpin. This year they are doing It's a Wonderful Life, and we plan to attend that, as well. We've all seen the film a bizillion times. But the story of someone driven to the brink, and then realizing what their life means and what meaningful space they fill in the circle of the people they care about, speaks to me in a different way than in the past. For at least a decade, my favorite Christmas film has been The Ref. This year I feel less irreverent and may get back to the classics. Though, while the radio play was great fun, I really can't handle watching Miracle on Thirty-Fourth Street. I fear cavities. And I just don't get Frosty the Snowman. Nor, The Grinch. We all have our holiday boundaries.
Yesterday, on Thanksgiving, as we were leaving our friends' home where we had celebrated with their extended family, another close friend shot Joel and me a group text that read:
Happy Thanksgiving Deborah and Joel!
We have so many blessings in our lives and you are one of them!
We wish you were here to celebrate with us.
And as the season begins with Thanksgiving and the Christmas season following, I carry those thoughts with me. With each decoration put up, and each ornament I attach to my mini tree, the ornaments I collected through both the years and my travels, I will take a moment to think about the meaning of Christmas, and my own devotion to the circle of people I care about. We shouldn't need Scrooge's three spirits to rouse us from our bed to remind us.
Christmas. Starting today, for thirty-days, let's try to be joyful, appreciative, and grateful for our blessings. Let's try hard to be kind and generous to each other. Maybe we will feel better. Maybe we can even start a trend...
Hope you had a fine Thanksgiving, and let me be the first to wish you a Happy Christmas! And thank you for reading my blog.
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