My View From The Middle

I am not, by any means, the super woman of holiday decor and frolics these days.   I move slowly from one celebration to the next with a sense of dread and obligation to participate.  There was a time in my life when I thought I needed decorations for every festive day that appeared on the calendar.  I couldn't wait to drag the boxes out and get started.   I saved, stored and boxed glass eggs, plaster eggs, and sugared eggs.  The snow man made of quilt batting that one of the kids made in school was gently wrapped each January to insure its safety through the coming months.   I had center pieces for the table to commemorate the numerous holidays.  It did not seem like a huge undertaking to move from holiday to holiday.  I gracefully moved through the transition with little irritation and stress.  The months must have passed slower, because I was never behind.  Now for some reason I am always playing catch up.


Thanksgiving has not even arrived and the shelves in the stores are devoid of Thanksgiving adornments.  The Christmas music is blasting through the mall and Walmart is a junky mess.  My fall wheat is still on the table along with the pilgrims and pumpkins.  The Halloween pumpkins are still on the porch--granted they are plastic so they haven't rotted--but is it really time for Christmas lights and wreaths? 

There is something not right about this whole holiday thing.  One just blends into the other and soon they become one big ball rolling out of control and continually gathering speed.  If decorations for Christmas are available in the stores the last of October, maybe we should skip November and move onto December and then there would only be one big meal to fix and plan.

                                                                                       

I just can't feel Christmas yet.  The pumpkins and pilgrims haven't over stayed their welcome yet so I am hesitant to ask them to leave before they have had their last hurrah.












I must face the truth and quit making excuses for my failure to participate with an eager spirit and artistic flare.  The honest truth is--I am being pushed faster than I want to go.  Let me keep my wheat and little people on the table two more weeks then I will gently pack them away along with the plastic pumpkins on the porch and move them to the basement to rest until next fall.  If that is possible then I will be able to make the transition form yellow and gold to red and green.  The tree will appear as well as the center piece for the table.  The snow globes will find there place under the tree so little hands can shake them and I might just put little lighted trees on the porch to fill the spot once occupied by pumpkins.  Eventually I will be ready for Christmas just in time to get the Valentine decorations out.