November 17th, 2020

Yes, our Christmas Lights are up.  Yes, I know it's only mid-November.  Yes, I'm aware that it's kind of early to put up Christmas Lights.  But you know what?  I don't give a ratz patootie.

Normally I get around to putting up the lights sometime after the tree goes up and that happens often just in time for Christmas itself.  I make up for the late decorating by leaving things up 'til mid-January ish.  It doesn't really  make sense but that's what almost always happens.

It's such a busy time of year.  Usually.  Lots of events. Normally.  Lots of gatherings.  Traditionally. Lots of bustling and baking and wrapping and shopping and festivities and, well this year will be completely different.  As we all know.

Only small gatherings are recommended, if any at all. Therefore there won't be the piles of dinners  and parties so there is no need to be spending my days cooking and baking and concocting marvelous and festive special meals.  As far as the usual massive cookie baking marathon goes, well lots of folks are, probably wisely, avoiding home made goodies both given and received for fear to transmitting cooties of all sorts. So I'll be cutting  severely on the amount of cookie baking. Shopping is even scaled back  to avoid too much face-time in crowds (even with masks), less stuff to choose from in the stores (it's true), and I just keep thinking it would be wise to  just spend less $$$ this year just in general.

We were in Walmart over the weekend and I was shocked to see almost no holiday festive clothing  in the women's section.  Usually there are racks upon racks of fancy tops and dresses or silly, fun sweatshirts and tee-shirts that are Christmas themed. Saturday there was one lonely sparkly red top. That's it.  Just the one.  Wow.  Big Difference.

And no special events.  When I looked at the local area calendar of events, it's just a long line of "cancelled, cancelled, cancelled".  I get it. I understand it. I even support it.  But dang.  It's kind of hard to whip up a little Christmas Spirit. I don't care how many versions of Deck the Halls are blared over the intercom system in the grocery store, I'm not humming along.  At least  I haven't been so  far.

And I didn't like how I was feeling. Normally I am a veritable Christmas Elf. Obnoxiously filled with Christmas Spirit and Good Cheer!  This year, I was feeling a little more like the Grinch. Not a way I like feeling. I wanted to feel at least a little bit like my old self.  So I started watching Christmas Movies on the Hallmark Channel.  It was a good start. I read a few Christmas Books. And I found that  I began to feel a wee bit lighter in my soul.  And I asked myself, " What would make you smile?"  And the answer was, "Putting up the lights"  And so we did.

And it worked too.  Just seeing them makes me happy.

By the way, We are not the first one to have our lights up either.  The city already has all of their Decorations up so up and down the Avenue is a double line of palm trees lit up to beat the band.  Looks pretty awesome too.    

People might think I'm crazy and I am fine with that.  I'm a smiling kind of crazy. And in this year of nothing at all "normal" all of the rules have been tossed right out the window anyway.  And so I'm taking the opportunity to write my own dang rules.  And rule number one, this holiday season is, "do what makes you smile".  Lights make me smile.

Let's see how long I can hold out until I put up the tree.  Anyone want to take bets on that?