Well here we are-November 3. I thought we’d never get here. The summer seemed to drag by with its annoying and excessive heat, its bugs, its hail storms and plant watering and over eating at many BBQ’s. Its skimpy dressing criteria when all you really want to do is hide under a great big sweater and scarf and not have to concern yourself with frequent pedicures and sun fading your hair color or people noticing your fleshy white aging legs or hammer toes in sandals. Whew. That’s over for another year. Good riddance.
Bring on the Christmas. Bring on the snow. Bring on the Starbucks Christmas rollout. Bring on the snuggling under a fur blanket by the fireplace with a hot beverage listening to all the Christmas tunes on Spotify. There is something about wandering around Chapters or Pottery Barn when all the Christmas goods are freshly lining the shelves and the flocked trees with twinkle lights are a presence. All the magic will be gone in a couple of months and even mid December things start looking a little haggard and picked over and redundant. But right now – its all fresh and new and lovely.
I winterized my closet this afternoon. No – I didn’t put snow tires on it but I did push all the skimpy pastel clothes to the back of the wall and fold others into buckets underneath the hanging stuff. Now all the cozy sweaters, scarves and boots are in full view, ready to be grabbed for when next its snows or blizzards or I just feel like taking a walk in the cool, crisp outdoors. It takes on a totally new look. Plus I found many items that I forgot I had, which will come in quite handy since I’m off superfluous shopping for awhile.
And tonite the time changes. We gain an hour, which I usually like to enjoy while I am awake. It’s as if it didn’t happen if I sleep through it. As a result it will now be dark by 6:00pm which adds to the reality of the season that is upon us. For those that work, they rarely will see the light of day anymore. Life will be lived in the dark, except for weekends. Because of this I do tend to get more sleep in the winter. These past few weeks I have mistakenly thought it was about midnight when it was really only 8:00pm.
I have started entertaining thoughts on how I will decorate our home for the Christmas season this year. Since I’m sworn off shopping I will have to make due with what I had last year and the year before that and the year before that. Anyone that knows me, knows with absolute certainty that I need nothing new by way of Christmas decor. It was good enough for the last 5 years, its good enough for this year. I just have to be creative – which is not a huge challenge for me – to come up with something new out of what I already possess. Let the games begin.
I will admit I do not enjoy white knuckle winter driving (I’m not a total freak). I just pray that I won’t have to venture out in too many snow storms this year. I do get distracted by the beauty of snow and that distracted driving law is still in effect. But seriously, that is really the only thing I don’t like about winter. Cold temperatures? Put more clothes on. No visibility? Stay home. Furnace breaks? Go to Mom’s. Window sills freeze and paint cracks? Repaint in the summer. Water pipes freeze and burst? Call insurance and start redecorating.
I’ve purged the basement once again and simplified a little more and we’ve also cleared out the garage (which is where I take everything that I don’t want in the house anymore) so we could park two of the cars in it before the next snowfall. The freezer is stocked with Hutterite chickens, pies, tarts and casseroles. I’m settling in for a long winters nap (I actually did have a nap yesterday when I found myself at home earlier than I anticipated. Decadent, I know). There are books to be read, movies to be watched and tunes to be listened to. The winter tires are going on and we are ready for ‘the most wonderful time of the year’.
The Red Plaid Apron 