It’s the Holiday Season!

Do you ever get the feeling that you grew up in an alternate reality or something? The Holiday season makes me aware of so many things other people take for granted that were never part of my life. Maybe it’s because I’m from a different generation or something, but I don’t seem to have a common footing sometimes.

For instance, the other day I overheard a co-worker talking about her family’s tradition of getting Santa photos with all the children, which they have done since she was a little girl. I never had a photo taken with Santa, though I do remember one Christmas when Santa came to our little town (La Grande, Oregon), and I got to meet the reindeer. That was pretty special, because they were really cute little guys, and I didn’t know reindeer were so small. Santa smelled funny too. He’d had a few nips of Jim Beam to keep warm (that was before I knew what Jim Beam was).

When I was a kid, everybody in the family gave gifts to everyone else. We didn’t draw names, but then nobody expected to get expensive gifts either. We knew we’d get clothes from Mom and Dad, and maybe a new doll or board game, and our stockings “hung by the chimney with care” would be filled with oranges, candy, and nuts. An iPad, plasma HDTV, or Lexus would have been things that movie stars wished for, but not us, and most gifts I remember were made by the people giving them. As a kid, I usually made candy and cookies as gifts until I learned to sew and crochet (I didn’t learn to knit until after I went to college), though my folks would always give me ten or twenty dollars (a fortune in those days) to buy presents for family members. Grandma and I would go downtown to Falk’s (the local department store), and I roamed the aisles looking for just the perfect gifts. One year (I couldn’t have been more than five) I remember buying Grandma a bottle of cologne and listening to the store loudspeaker playing “Silver Bells.” It was snowing outside and seemed a most magical day. Grandma loved the cologne so much she never used it but kept it on display in a prominent spot in the bathroom, so after that, I found out what KIND of perfume she liked before making a purchase.

Back in the days when watching your waistline was not yet in fashion, Christmas was a time of frantic baking. I remember spending days in Grandma’s kitchen making sugar and candy cane cookies, fudge, peanut brittle, and fruitcakes. Grandma made pies, and on Christmas Day we always had a huge turkey, because Christmas dinner was always at her house. People sat around in the living room before and after dinner (there wasn’t room in the kitchen for more than three people) and TALKED. Yes, I know—that was in the era before TV, but my family was never into football games, and I can’t remember even hearing one on the radio. We listened to Christmas carols instead.

We went to church Christmas morning and then to Grandma’s for dinner. I always got to help Grandma cook, and I loved being her little helper, so I was the one who set the table with the damask linen tablecloth, china, and silver. Most of all, however—and I’m sure this is true for all of you reading this—the best part of Christmas was being with the ones I loved. Christmas is a time for sharing that love with everyone else too, so I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a most happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!

Endings and Beginnings

The old year is winding down, and I’ve found it’s the perfect time to think of new beginnings. As of January 5th, I will begin a new job (actually, I’m returning to my PREVIOUS job), and there will necessarily be several other changes linked to that.

For instance, I will be working a different shift (at least for a while) so I hope to be better able to add in time for a daily walk with my dog and several daily hours with my horse. Roxi and I have both gotten a bit pudgy these past few months due to the lack of exercise, and though my horse Hadarah isn’t fat, she is suffering from a lack of activity as well. At least she’s seen me this winter, but that’s not really good enough. Also, spending time with my critters every day is the best thing I know of in terms of reducing my stress level, which has gotten rather far out of hand lately.

With all of that said, I’ve turned my attention back to my goals—MY goals, which had sadly fallen by the wayside over the past few years, what with buying and furnishing a house, and moving into a different job at work. I found that what I really wanted to do with my life had gotten lost in all the daily chores and tasks, and since I’m not getting any younger, it was past time for getting back to them.

So, yes, I DO have some New Year’s Resolutions this year. Yes, some of them DO have to do with losing weight and getting in shape, but the difference here is that in order to achieve those goals I was talking about, I HAVE to do it for myself, and it has nothing to do with fitting into a bikini. Please, I’m over 60, so that isn’t even on my horizon!

One thing I want to do next year is take a series of intensive riding lessons at the National School of Academic Equitation (there really is such a place) up in Snohomish County. Before I can do that, however, I need to get myself into better physical condition and save my money, because it isn’t cheap. At least they have school horses, so I don’t have to worry about trailering mine up there—an ordeal I would just as soon avoid. While Hadarah has perfectly good trailer manners, I just don’t want to have to deal with renting a truck and trailer or persuading one of my friends to haul us up there! Several weeks of instruction should give me the boost I’ve needed in terms of honing my riding skills. And in case you are wondering, yes I do know how to ride—but I want to improve enough to be able to show in dressage classes one of these days. There’s a lot more to riding than being able to stay on while your horse hauls you around on the trails. If that were all I wanted to accomplish, I’ve already done it.

I will be sending the manuscript for my book of poetry off to the publisher in another couple of weeks. It’s actually been done for a while, but I still had a few loose ends to tie up. It will be nice to be able to hold it in my hand and say, “I did this.” And, I really did all of the writing, editing, and formatting myself.

Sam is remodeling the small front bedroom in our house so I can use it for my office and craft room. Wow, a place where I have a real desk, and my yarn and sewing things are organized, not stacked around in bags all over the floor! I even have a real drop-leaf work table! I’ll have my own TV and wireless headphones too, so I can watch TV while knitting without bothering Sam (he despises TV).

Now to get past the Christmas Holidays . . . .