Between rushing off to a faraway Friday night football game to realizing that Christmas is fast approaching, the panic started to set in. Everything just went into hyperdrive this past week as the holiday season is literally around the corner. Or, if you consider Halloween the start of the ‘season’ we are already in it. From the beginning of November through the end of the year, though, it just seems like the time flies and there aren’t enough hours in the day.
Friend and co-worker Marissa got us all into the holiday spirit – whether we were ready or not – by blasting Christmas tunes in the front lobby while she was turning it into a virtual winter wonderland. The cinnamon aroma of store-bought pine cones mixed with the various other smells we have wafting about the office in wax melters and traditional jar candles; it was almost seasonal scent overload.
Then Marissa hauled the holiday storage totes out of the garage and brought in a free artificial Christmas tree that would make even the Grinch smile. She got to work putting it all together; she was on a mission. It probably didn’t hurt that she had consumed an energy drink that morning as opposed to her usual cup of coffee – she somehow managed to decorate every nook and cranny of the front lobby with holiday cheer, right down to the Christmas carolers, a reindeer and Mr. and Mrs. Claus. They are ready to greet everyone walking in through our front door.
She did lose all track of time; proclaiming that “It didn’t even take me that long!” – estimating her decorating time at half an hour when in reality it had been about three hours. But you know, those energy drinks, they help with the productivity.
Our holiday season at home when I was growing up typically started at Thanksgiving; we often had some snow on the ground by that time in rural upstate New York. It didn’t happen every year but guaranteed we would have had a couple of freezes by Thanksgiving and most of the brightly colored leaves would have been on the ground, fallen from the trees.
The most notable Thanksgiving storm was one of epic proportions. I remember my brother and I had not yet put our bicycles away for the winter and, coming downstairs on that Thanksgiving morning, there was a few feet of freshly fallen snow. We had to wade out into the front yard to try and dig our bikes out of the snowbank.
But ultimately, the holiday season is about sharing the time and making memories with those you love, whether it’s a full house and a seven-course dinner on Thanksgiving or just a couple of people sitting down together with some turkey and mashed potatoes.
I remember my mom starting to roast the turkey in the early morning hours; the smell would start to fill the house by mid-morning and you really couldn’t wait for everything to come together and get put on the table.
Over the years there have been lots of different variations on Thanksgiving and Christmas: where it was spent, who was there, who made the dinner or who baked the cookies and pies; but it has always been about family and friends and sharing in the joy of what we have.
Thanksgiving, for me, is a good time to make note of my many blessings; and to get into the mindset of gratitude that I hope to carry through the end of the year and on in to the next.
Wherever you will be this Thanksgiving, however you celebrate and whoever shares your table, may you make some wonderful memories.
And if you need help decorating for the holidays, just call Marissa.
Marg Jackson is editor of The Oakdale Leader, The Escalon Times and The Riverbank News. She may be reached at mjackson@oakdaleleader.com or by calling 209-847-3021.
