Thursday, November 1, 2007

There's Sentimental, and Then There's Stupid

November 1st! Let the panic begin.

Well, back up a minute...
I want to be the woman who enjoys November and Thanksgiving for the beautiful, tranquil, spiritually nourishing days they should be. I get all ANNOYED at every store that trots out the Christmas bling before Halloween is even a scary memory. And I definitely do not decorate my own house for Christmas until after Thanksgiving.

Having said all that, today is the day I usually panic about Christmas.

In case you haven't seen a calendar lately, I'll just tell you that we are 7 weeks away from Christmas.

You're welcome.

Normally this is my annual day to start a flurry of lists that will never be quite finished, look through my stash to see what I have already begun to purchase, and eat a mountain of Halloween candy because I get a little anxious.

What I WANT to be doing today is putting away the Halloween decorations and getting out the Thanksgiving things. I want to prepare a Family Home Evening about gratitude. (I can actually only remember doing this one time ever. I cut out about eleventy-million construction paper leaves, so we could each write something every day that we were grateful for, and tape them to a large posterboard tree on the wall.)

I want November at our house to be about gratitude. I want to think about how we have been blessed, and how we can bless others. I want the kids to go through their closets and find things they don't use or wear to give to those less fortunate. I want to rake leaves for widows, and go to the nursing home to play bingo with the elderly.

Incidentally, that closet thing? I want to do that to celebrate every season. First day of spring? Let's clean out the closets! Arbor day? Grand Opening of a jar of pickles? Get out the trash bags, kids! Not that it ever works out that way...

That's my right brain left brain (Who am I kidding? I still can't figure out which one I am!)

Anyway, that's one side of my head talking. The other side of my head tells me I'm being stupid. In our culture, November is the running start to the big extravaganza. Giving up the running start, when I've done little to prepare before this, is probably NOT going to ensure a happy me during December.

So as usual, I will spend November like a yoga beginner trying the tree pose. Taking some deep breaths and trying to find my balance. I AM getting better at this. I just haven't gotten it right yet.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love this post! I'm so like this too... Actually for me, it started yesterday. I was picking my kids brains about their favorite Christmas activities... I really want Christmas to be about Christ and our family and NOT about the presents.
I love your tree idea and I am totally stealing it for this week's FHE! Thank you!

Heather said...

Eleventy Million is a lot... I saw someone make a "tree" out of a branch and then hang their leaves from the tree with string... so cute. Maybe I'll do it too.

goddessdivine said...

Amen about the holiday decor. I absolutely refuse to put up any Christmas stuff or listen to any Christmas music until THE day after Thanksgiving. I think this is such an important holiday that unfortunately gets the shaft. Good for you for not giving in!!

It bugs that the stores hype it up way too early. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love decorations just as much as the next guy, but seriously people.

I like your FHE activity. Sounds like fun!

Melissa said...

Ah... well... I love that they have the Christmas stuff out already... :S I had a friend who's mom left a nativity out all year round. That's kind of how I feel... Christmas, and the feelings of the holiday can never start too soon or leave too early... I guess the trees and decor just get me in the spirit. Probably because I don't buy much of it :)

TheOneTrueSue said...

I never start working on Christmas till about a week before. I just don't want to ruin all of November and December with the stress of it all, so I pretend it is not happening. It works fairly well, actually.

Caroline C. Bingham said...

I'm already DONE with all my Christmas stuff. Go on, be jealous.

"Q" said...

7 Weeks till Christmas, really? Now I am hysterical.

Sue, I love your strategy! That alone could help put Christ back in the proper place. Now I'll calm down and put my mind to reason...if only for a moment:)

Kimberly Vanderhorst said...

Oh my. Seven weeks.

Starting...to...panic...

Tonya said...

Oh gee, thanks so much for the "in your face" you are running out of time. I have usually started by this time of year but where oh where has the time gone?

I am determined to not get rushed through this thankful season before I'm on to the next. We can do it!!

Nancy Face said...

I had to take down and pack away every bit of our Halloween decor today, because I'm hosting my parents' 50th Anniversary dinner in two days! So it's all about Thanksgiving and Harvest and Golden Anniversary stuff...but I admit that Christmas is in my mind, too! ;)

Janell said...

I'll admit it. I'm one of those crazies who listens to Christmas music year round.

Good luck with the seasonal preparations!

Anonymous said...

deep breaths randi! one more. one more. you're so cute how you wrote about the grand opening of the pickles. you are a breath of fresh air girl, kathleen :)