Snow brings Christmas feel (12/17/07)

It finally feels like Christmas. The weather has cooled off and there is a big pile of filthy snow in the center of town. The snow we received over the weekend has covered it nicely.

I don't know how people in warm climates get into the holiday spirit. There is something about winter air that cleanses the soul and prepares it for the celebration we call Christmas. It seems that people have always come together this time of year in ritual and joy. I celebrate the birth of a baby; others celebrate the miracle of oil lasting longer than it should. The relatively new celebration of Kwanzaa is also set during this time period. I have heard that the date for Christmas was decided because it coincided with pagan ceremonies.

Whatever miracle you celebrate, this is a special time of year. The cheerful days of summer are but a memory. The harvest is over and preparations have been made for the upcoming winter. The dreary, gray days of January and February have yet to arrive. It is the perfect time to gather together and show your love and appreciation for those who love you. Hanging up Santas and angels is just part of the fun. Santa Claus reminds us of unselfish giving. After all, who else would go to all that trouble for a few cookies and some milk? The angels are the benevolent protectors we all wish we had. Trees are brought inside to decorate and to create a place for the presents to go. Just be careful that the cat doesn't think the tree skirt is a litter box like our cat did last year. Yes, I will be shopping for a new tree skirt this year.

I love to sing Christmas carols. The familiar tunes make me happy. So what if I can't carry a tune? Neither can most people. That is no reason not to try. I usually get out the songbooks and tap out a few melodies on our tinkly piano. I don't play any better thanâI sing. I try to do this when nobody is home so I don't torture anybody with all the sour notes.

Christmas is when all the charities go into overdrive. All the poor who can be found get gift baskets filled with the cheapest stuff people can find. We lived on those gift baskets for more years than I care to remember. I have a request for all those who fill the baskets - please don't put anything in there that you wouldn't buy for your own family. In the past we received some truly nasty food that had sat in the back of someone's cupboard for too many years.

The problem I have with charities is that poverty is a year-round thing. A good meal at Thanksgiving and Christmas is not enough to sustain a person for very long. There has got to be a better way to help than the way we currently do things. There will always be poor people and rich people. The gap between the two is widening all the time. I don't know how to stop this nor do I know anyone who does.

I am looking forward to continuing with the shopping this weekend. I am in search of a tribal mask of some kind for a young nephew. He is at that between age where toys are still an option but girls have definitely become more interesting than Transformers. I don't think it has to be a real tribal mask, just something that will look good on his bedroom wall.

I do get to shop for little girl toys as granddaughter Emma will play with anything. This means that I can roam the toy aisles. I have already purchased a Barbie and my mom is busy crocheting clothes for it. I'm not one who believes that Barbie promotes an unhealthy image of the female body. She is just a way for little girls to imagine themselves as grownups. Besides, Barbie will be naked and stuck under the couch soon enough.

I tend to buy toys that require imagination or that make noise. The best toys do both. Shopping is as much a part of my Christmas as is the nativity set up in the living room. And all the snow outside is just the icing on the cake that I call Christmas.

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