It's Christmastime again, and unlike last year, I'm enjoying it more. That's kind of weird, because Thanksgiving came very early this year, which made Black Friday and the official holiday season start earlier.
Maybe it didn't seem as bad because the oldies station that used to bombard us with bad Christmas songs changed formats a few months ago. After hearing the crap they play now, I'd never complain about the Christmas music!
Now the holiday music is on Magic 106, the local soft rock station. I hear it when I'm at work, so it's not constant. They seem to play a better selection, and more of the "classic" Christmas songs from the 50's and early 60's.
Aside from the music, the shopping hype didn't seem to be as bad, or maybe I just wasn't paying attention. I haven't gone Christmas shopping yet, and the big day is only 9 days away. Holy Cow! It snuck up on me again, like it always does. I did order a couple of things online, that really is convenient. I forgot about one gift I picked up from my Mom a couple of weeks ago.
Shopping is one thing I love to do, but don't do much because I don't drive. I haven't been to a mall in years. I go to discount stores every so often (Ocean State Job Lot), and I love the Christmas Tree Shop! Building 19, a local chain of discount stores, used to be great. But the last time we were there, they were awful.
Do you send Christmas cards out to friends and family? I like to, though lately it's been very limited. I found some cards I had written and addressed, but never sent. I can't use them, though, because I wrote the year on them! I'll be sure not to do that again.
This year I actually made some of those photo cards-did it online at the Staples website. They had a half-price deal that I couldn't pass up. It was time consuming, but the end result I'm pleased with. Now I just have to wait for them to arrive, and mail them. No guarantee you'll get yours before Christmas, but all my friends know I'm always late anyway!
This post is getting a little long, so I'll close for now. Next time I'll touch on some of my favorite gifts when I was little, and other memories.
I haven't said anything yet about the horrendous tragedy in Connecticut. I don't want to comment except to say it's devastating. It makes you feel like there's nothing sacred in this world, and there's no place to hide. By writing this post about Christmas I didn't intend to ignore what's going on in the real world.
A travesty such as this, which are more and more common these days, makes stories I write seem pretty frivolous. I hope you'll still find my essays an acceptable escape from the reality that we're forced to endure. There won't be any joy this Christmas for a lot of people. If you believe in prayer, keep on praying and try to keep the faith.
I'm going to try and leave you with a very powerful version of "Silent Night/Seven O'clock News" by Simon & Garfunkel.
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