First of all, let me wish you a wonderful holiday season with a Merry Christmas and a happy, satisfying new year.
My husband and I opt out of holiday travel so we can avoid the stress that comes with airports and airplanes and weather disruptions, not to mention the whole family gathering, gift-buying, cooking, and over-indulgence. We do cook a little…my special dressing for Thanksgiving along with a roasted half turkey breast and a few trimmings; a Honey-Baked Ham for Christmas with a couple of side dishes (and a shank bone leftover for a great winter bean soup). I won’t say we avoid over-indulging completely, but we do better alone than we do in a crowd. Shall I blame peer pressure? Stress-eating? I’m not sure.
We still love family visits, but prefer everyone travel at non-holiday times and preferably when the weather is less likely to interfere with flights. It’s not that much fun to get stranded at an airport during a blizzard, even when the therapy dogs and carolers do their best to lighten the mood.
Because of our animals, we no longer bother with a Christmas tree or decorations. The cat will try to eat anything new I bring in the house, so I can’t buy a poinsettia or keep a Christmas cactus like the ones I used to grow years ago. The joys of the season include the Christmas decorations on neighborhood houses, (me) singing alone with the CMA Country Christmas show on television, (the two of us ) watching the Broncos play their last, sad game of the season on Christmas Eve this year, and playing our holiday rounds of Boggle and Scrabble.
The above photo was a November sunrise in northern Colorado, close to Thanksgiving. We’ve had quite a few pink and orange sunrises lately, but this one was pure gold and caught my interest enough to actually go outside with my Nook Samsung tablet, in my pajamas, and try to do the sunrise justice.
Two of the great joys of our life here in Colorado are named Katie Cat and Sassy Dog. I walked into the living room the other day and found Sassy nosed up to the box I’d left for the cat to explore. I suspected there was a reason for the dog to be so interested, so once again I grabbed that tablet.
Sure enough, Katie Cat eventually peeked out to see if the coast was clear for escape. She never knows for sure if Sassy is going to ignore her antics or give chase, so she’s cautious. Watching a cat tiptoe across a room in show motion, passing within a foot of the dog’s nose, is very entertaining. Someday I hope to have that tablet or my camera handy so I can film the action instead of grabbing still shots.
What are your special joys this holiday season? Are you a traditionalist when it comes to decorating or have you gone minimalist as we’ve done at our house? What special activities do you reserve for this time of year?