The holiday season rolls in like the surf; once the surf is up, we’re on the wave. But, since we’ve visited here time and time again, we’ve
stored memories, hopes, traditions ... expectations. Sometimes we forget happiness comes
from inside each of us. Joy it is strictly a product of spirit.
Thanksgiving 2013 will be tough for me, personally, and I
seem to be limping toward the finish line. For millions of American families,
loss of work and/or income will make this holiday season challenging. The good
news is, some of the most heartwarming holiday stories have come out of the hardest times. O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" is one of my favorites. The "Online Star Register" features it and other classic tales.
Keep it simple, using this equation: First, the best gifts are from the
hearth and heart. Second, stay away from crowded malls and big box stores. Third, if
you find extremely crowded Internet sites and potential purchasing errors, a
pain, do a minimum of shopping online, and don’t delay. (I ended up going to a
mall at the eleventh hour last year, because an Internet order could not be fulfilled.) Finally, buy local products at local events, and try your hand at homemade decor and gifts.
Not everyone is craft-crazed, but Internet sites, such as
Pinterest , feature great ideas for creating decorations and gifts. Here is a link to Pinterest, and a link to countryliving.com.
Martha Stewart’s site is superb, but I’m assuming people either
consider themselves craft wizards, or not. If you are not in the wizard category,
start with simple, inexpensive projects. We've all had our crafting disasters. One year, with no chance of buying a Christmas tree, I
dragged two very large tumbleweeds inside to strip the debris, then, paint
them. This proved beyond messy. Spray paint and glitter came next, also a mess,
not to mention, I never did like the finished products. I’ve also really hurt
my hands, making Christmas wreaths with wire coat hangers for the bases.
One really fun, easy project to do with children is bread
dough Christmas ornaments. There is a tutorial on YouTube, but it is relatively
simple, and everybody gets in on the action. Here is a link to the recipe for
the dough.
Meanwhile, if
you are among the millions of people, who will work up to and during the
holidays, be sure to take particular care of yourself. In the next post, I’ll have ideas for beleaguered working stiffs and the most heroic people of the season, caregivers.
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