Thursday, December 18, 2003
TSUNAMI:
I am enjoying watching the waves of the holiday pretty well; wading along here on the strand; gettin' my feet wet; but, with an eye to the horizon in case the BIG one comes by.
I have become a minimalist as far as the season is concerned. I enjoy some of the atmospherics that others create--the lights, the wreaths, and so on; but try not to get caught up in it myself. I certainly did my share over the years, but now, I like to get up on the beach and watch the ocean rather than get into it.
An occasional body surf is good too.
I am in-charge of the holiday cards more or less and I do get into it. I get them out shortly after Thanksgiving and work the list. There is a system to it of course: the computerized record of last year's S and/or R (send/recieve); the decision to keep 'delinquents' on the list or not; who is new or off that needs to be on--some people go off the list and then through happy circumstance go back on as a result of their good behavior. Certain policies emerge ('no local cards') and so on. It has just the enough bite of a management problem to it which I like.
I do not get all sappy about it but I do write simple notes. We no longer do newsletters as being on the recieving end of them has highlighted all their faults; learning through others' experience!
I DO the cards because I like to GET others' cards and the results of my labors last for weeks through the ramp up to the big days themselves. Every day there is a little reward in the mailbox. I do ask John every year why we are doing this since we never see or talk or write to these people all year long. But that, of course, is the point. We are not in contact in any other way and because we are in contact THIS way we still are 'holding hands' and that feels good to me. And, others write little notes and I endure, and even grudgingly enjoy, the newsletters.
That is it. I watch John decorate. He is getting to be a minimalist too.
One of the traditional decorations is a little advent calendar with boxes to open each day. Little wooden presents are in each box. You take one out, a day at a time, and hang it on the tree: little houses, candy canes, teddy bears, stockings and so on. On the 25th day, there is a star to put on top of the tree. This year, I have the odd days and John has the evens. That means I will get the star at the end.
I will cook some holiday food, and I will probably do something else spontaneously if I feel like it; but, I do not PLAN MY FUN.
Randy is coming over from Long Beach for the Long weekend and Bob L. will join us for a simple dinner on the 24th.
We will talk to the family back east; mostly the grandchildren.
We may all take a long bike ride the 25th morning; the gym is closed--the one time in the year it is as it is a 24/7 gym.
I will go see LORD OF THE RINGS: Return of the King! Neither John or Randy are RING-ers.
I will be nicely buzzed.
And I will keep my eye on the horizon. Somewhere out there, is a big sloppy, all churned-up tsunami of holiday crazies ready to come in and swamp the shore. Lord knows I have been hit with this wave enough in the past to keep a weather eye.
Keeping it simple.
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