Tis the season

It's Sunday evening, the weekend has vanished... BUT today we went out and bought our Christmas tree. We don't go the artificial route -- just wouldn't seem like Christmas to us.
Once we had it home, the usual Christmas jig ensued. Trying to get it into the holder, trying to get the tree straight, trying to get the bolts tight enough so the tree wouldn't topple.
And then, of course, adjusting everything once we got it into the house.
And then, of course, the cats had to inspect everything, drink out of the tree holder and spaz out under the tree.
We put up the lights... the rest of the decorating, we hope, will get done this week.
But it's also so pleasant to turn out the lights, except for the tree, and just enjoy how beautiful it looks.
Happy tree hunting, everyone!

Whatta day

It's Nov. 24, it's full moon and it's cold -- hey, it's November!
Today was a great day, getting together with some family members I don't get to see nearly often enough.
My late husband's mother and his sister, plus her daughter and HER two daughters -- add in myself and my daughter and it was a great ladies day
Since my mother-in-law lives near Hershey, my daughter and I decided to stop in at Chocolate World first to do a little Christmas shopping. We somehow avoided the 5 busloads of people that also were early birds and even decided to take the ride through
"chocolate making," since it had been quite a while.
The weather was beautiful, the stop at Chocolate World was fun and it was so great to spend time with family and get caught up on our lives.
No, we didn't exchange expensive presents or stop in at a fine-dining restaurant, but we couldn't have asked for a better day.
Yes, I'm tired now that it's evening and the trip is over, but it's a good kind of tired.
Not the "oh, I could have killed those people at the mall" kind of tired.
It's the kind of day you file away for future smiles.

stuffed?

Well, were you among the billions who gorged themselves on turkey and all the trimmings, dazed in a comatose state as football droned in the background, and then hit the ground running around 3 a.m. --- or midnight -- so you could smash your way through crowds only to discover that ONE sale item you had tortured yourself was was sold out? Actually, it seems the store had only one to begin with and that was promised to the manager's daughter.
Some of us lucky ones had a quiet family get-together on Turkey Day -- and since we're vegetarians, there was no turkey to prepare -- and that had to work on Friday (not in retail, thank goodness).
When did this gotta have stores open on Thanksgiving; gotta have them open at midnight madness take over us?
Where is the fun and anticipation of getting to the store at a normal time, chatting with other shoppers, no promises of HUGE sales (on just one item) to throw everyone into a feeding frenzy?
It's not fun to shop this way; the only memories being made are hateful ones.
I'm glad I had to work on Friday.
Then I could come home, pull on some flannel jammies and shop on the Internet.
Now about that Christmas tree......

was that really snow???

Yes, we actually got some snowflakes on Sunday and Monday. Nothing to actually "see" on the ground, but they did fall from the sky... and on the week of Thanksgiving. It provides hope that summer is finally, officially over. Perhaps we'll have some colder weather before winter sets in!
Having been up in Vermont recently, I like to check the newspaper in Stowe, and saw this past weekend that the road that snakes over the mountain at Smuggler's Notch has been closed for the winter because of snow and ice -- impassable! Yes, it happens every winter, but it was cool to see the photo they published and to think of snuggling in at a cabin for the winter.
A nice fantasy, but not very realistic.
Still, it's fun to dream.

are you ready?

You know it's early November when all of the shopping centers put up their outside holiday lights.
Guess they have to though; after all, Santa arrived at Montgomery Mall Friday evening.
Now kiddies can start lining up and begging for all those high-priced items they simply MUST have.
And parents can start to feel guilty.
Really, though, the white lights do help pierce the gloom of the long nights, and that does help in some respects.
But certain people around the office are already talking about wrapping their Christmas presents.
WRAPPING???
I haven't even thought about buying any yet.
I think this year I'll just skip it... of course I threaten that every year.
Eggnog anyone?

thanks for voting

No, I didn't run for office.
And no, the voter figures were hardly records.
But I wanted to thank everyone WHO voted FOR voting.
Obviously it resulted in many changes at the local and county levels.
And regardless of what party you lay claim to, it was good to see so many candidates and some change.
It will be interesting to see how some of this plays out in the years to come.
So, now that the election is over, you can all get down to the really important stuff.
Like holiday shopping.
Hey, I'd rather be voting.

VOTE!

OK, it may be rainy and a little dreary this morning, but don't use that as an excuse not to vote.
You go to work, you head out to "fun" events, you go shopping, you hang out with friends regardless of the weather.
So don't try to justify blaming the weather for you laziness.
VOTE!
This is an important local election -- make your voice heard.

Ready to vote?

OK, it's Sunday evening. It's been a gorgeous weekend and probably a lot of you have been busy, as I was, prepping for winter.
You know, tidying up the yard, stowing away summer furniture, saying goodbye to flowers zapped by the frost.
But did you spend any time thinking about Tuesday's elections?
I certainly hope so.
This Tuesday will be an important election for county and municipal voters, especially.
County commissioner, district attorney, row offices, school boards, borough councils, township boards -- come on, people.
Turn out on Tuesday and make your voice heard!
You know you spent time on your yard and house... now make time to vote!

the countdown begins

Halloween is past and, with the start of November, comes the start of all things Christmas. The commercials have begun; of course the stores have been putting out holiday-related items for months. The catalogs are clogging my mailbox.
I can remember when the day AFTER Thanksgiving was the "official" start of the holiday feeling. My mom would take us shopping -- a big treat, because there were no malls and we didn't go shopping on a routine basis for "frivolous" items.
But it made it all the more magical. You knew that month would be filled with baking cookies, sending and getting cards, buying presents, looking at the "wish book" over and over again, praying Santa and your parents would get the hint.
There was always the big party at school, and of course the decorations were made with our own little hands.
I know we didn't get tons of presents; we were far from rich, but everyone else was basically in the same boat so no one expected a TV or dozens of gifts.
But it was a wonderful time of year and filled with anticipation.
That was long before radio stations went "all holiday" in November; holiday ornaments debuted at card stores in July; and mega malls were THE place to shop.
It may be only the beginning of November, but for far too many people, the dreaded race is on.