Holidays rich with tradition

I can tell that the holidays are getting closer because I have already gotten a request for a Santa letter. It seems that my niece’s stepdaughter has lost the bookmark Santa sent the year before. For the life of me, I don’t remember sending a bookmark. But as Santa’s Official Scribe, I will find a replacement for her. I might make up some story about how Rudolph was practicing flying when he saw her drop the bookmark.
Santa letters are a great way to get my imagination going. Sometimes I go with a wholesome theme and sometimes I get a little carried away. Last year, I maimed an elf in the name of symbolism. I have promised not to do that this year although the elf in question might make a miraculous recovery. Or not.
There have been a couple of babies added to the family this year. Both mothers have requested letters. The little girls are way too young to appreciate Santa but it will mean a lot to their families.
I like presents like that. All they cost is time and fancy paper. Toys and clothes are quickly outgrown. But gifts from the heart live on long after the holiday is over. Even children sense that the love contained in home made gifts is special.
That doesn’t absolve me from buying presents. Two dinosaurs, two trucks, a science set and an art set are waiting to be wrapped and shipped. That is just the beginning of the shopping.
It doesn’t help that granddaughter Emma has a birthday just a few days after the new year begins and presents are required for that, also.
Plus there are adults to buy for. That is always a challenge. I tell them to just get plants for me, but they seldom listen. Sometimes I get lucky and people actually tell me what they want. Alas, they never want something as simple as a Santa letter.
It is hard to get in a shopping mood when the skies are bright and sunny and the weather is still relatively warm. I’d rather be in the woods somewhere kicking through the leaves than trying to make a budget stretch to cover everybody.
But shopping is one of the ways I celebrate the holidays. Baking, cooking, wrapping and shipping are some of the ways I show my family how much they mean to me. And with the ridiculous flap over red cups, I just might decorate some for the more vocal members of the family. Be assured, they will feature every holiday there is and some holidays I will have to invent.
The older I get the faster time goes. It doesn’t seem possible that Thanksgiving is just around the corner or that Christmas is only a few weeks after that. I remember when it seemed like years and years between the two holidays. Now it seems like a matter of seconds. I guess time really is relative. When there are relatives involved, time speeds up exponentially or at least it seems that way.
If you haven’t already started preparing for the busiest time of the year, be aware that the holidays are coming up fast. Now I have Santa letters to write and a bookmark to find so I will leave you to prepare your own holiday traditions.