Happy Holidays. (Or Not.)
Society says we should be jolly and happy and thankful and joy-filled during these days. Commercials tell us to feel the magic and the wonder. But we don’t all feel it. Some of us feel hollowed out. Some of us feel lonely. Some of us feel the weight of having a double-digit bank account or mounting credit card bills. Some of us watch cheesy holiday movies and feel that we’re not enough, that we don’t measure up.
Some of those people are me. Some might be you.
In Dog Years
Every year, the holiday season feels a little different than the one before. When our kids were little and wide-eyed, Christmas was Magical and Big and Festive, and I was a hurried, harried, sleep-deprived mess, trying to ensure every candy cane moment was etched on impressionable little minds. But on the morning of December 25th […]
Be the One
Yesterday was extra-special. It wasn’t because we picked out our beautiful (and HUGE… like, bent-over-at-the-ceiling sized) Christmas tree or gorged on Thanksgiving leftovers or lounged around in the family room watching football games and testing out the new UVerse Karaoke channel. All those things were pretty awesome (especially the karaoke), but it was what happened […]
Standing in the Blue
I’ve been feeling all blurry and jagged edges lately, even on the heels of our nation’s most thankful day. The truth is, sometimes the holidays challenge me. All the brightly colored bows and the cheer and the consumerism are co-conspirators in a general ache that works its way into my soul. The juxtaposition of the […]
A Letter to the North Pole
Dear Santa, I know it’s January 5th. And I know you tend to get most of your mail in December. And typically, it all comes from those in the 0-8 age range. But here’s the thing… none of my kids wrote to you this year, so I feel the need to bridge that gap. They’re […]
2012
2012. I like the sound of it. 2011 was a year of Big Changes. This one is going to be a year of Grand Adventures. I love the possibilities. We wrapped up the Old Year in high gear. Lots of visits with wonderful new friends and treasured old friends. Hugs for grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles. […]
Yes, Virginia
Yesterday, Mary Claire came flying through the door after school with great concern and consternation. “Mom!” she yelled, orange backpack laden with hundreds of keychains flung violently to the floor. “Half of my class doesn’t believe in Santa Claus!! Can you believe that?” “Wow,” I replied. “Half the class, huh? What did those kids say?” […]