He's Making A List

Christmas Light

"It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags!"... Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!"
~Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

A little over a week or so ago I was speaking with a friend, we had finally managed to coincide which is a rare coincidence.  Usually our conversations consist of voice mails back and forth, an email here and there.  But that day the planets aligned and we had an actual conversation.  Which was lovely, but something she said stuck with me and, frankly, put me in a bit of a Grinchy mood.  I made a comment to the effect that, wow, we were finally speaking with each other as opposed to listening to voice mails!  She responded with "Well, you know, how it is these days, people see the caller i.d. and ignore the call, they'd rather text."  Which kinda left me thinking, wait a gosh-darn minute, you mean the times I've left a voice mail, she's been ignoring my calls?  As one of my favorite bloggers, Hollye Jacobs, likes to say WTF?  I mean, I know we are all busy these days, but, shoot, you mean to tell me you can't pick the phone up ONCE?  At least to say, listen, I'm a little busy right now, can I call you when I have a minute?  This is someone whose friendship goes back decades.  I don't know, maybe I'm being ridiculous, but that comment just stuck in my craw.  Then I thought about that poem about people being in one's life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.  Maybe our season wound down and I just did not realize it.  Don't know.  It just left me a little deflated, for a while anyway.

To add to the general phhhhttt-someone-let-all-the-air-out feeling, a few days later day I got a lecture, well-meaning, but a lecture nonetheless, about my weight.  Again from an old friend whose agenda rarely coincides with mine. This is another friendship whose season I really believe has passed, it's just taken a while for me to realize it.  But it's like we are on very different paths now.  This visit went something like this, Friend:  "So, you like my new bracelet?"  Me:  "Yes, it is beautiful!" She: "So, what new jewelry have YOU gotten lately?"  Me:  "None, but I have been writing and painting a lot on weekends, I love doing that!"  She:  "Oh, painting, phhhhttt!  Sweets, I don't want to insult you, but have you gained MORE weight?"  Me:  "Well, I had breathing issues and was on prednisone for a while."  She: "Can't you do something about that?  I think you use that as an excuse to eat." I mean, REALLY? Oh, yeah, because being on steroids is just SO much fun, I get cranky and hungry and did I mention cranky?  Believe me, Cranky Barbie is NOT pretty.  But I breathe!  I don't know about you, but to me breathing is a GOOD thing.  By the time the visit wound down, I was ready to start banging my head against a wall, because every single negative vibe that I do battle with on a regular basis was alive and well and tap dancing in my head.  Two hours of hanging out with this friend and I'm starting to think the bottle is half-empty, instead of half-full, ya know?  Definitely not feeling Christmasy at this point, oish!

But I digress.  This is supposed to be a post about Santa.  He is, after all, making a list and checking it twice.

This Thursday one of my favorite blogs (Rx For the Soul) had a new Thankful Thursday post, A Merry Thankful Thursday, which included a quote from one of my favorite Christmas movies, "It came without ribbons, it came without tags!  It came without packages, boxes or bags!"  See above for the complete quote, I love that blog, always brings a smile to my face ... and my heart.  How the Grinch Stole Christmas is required viewing at the Cozy Cocoon during the holidays.  Seeing it quoted in my friend's blog just gave me the warm fuzzies.  Really, if you are ever feeling a bit off, or just need a bit of cheer, click on this blog, I guarantee you will feel 100% better, http://rxforthesoul.thesoulsentinel.com.  Hmmm, reading the post brought back some wonderful memories of what Christmas is really all about.  I felt the Christmas Spirit's wings gently tap me on the shoulder, reminding me to enjoy, savor, be.  Pitch the negative vibes, grab on (and hold tight) to the positive ones.  I clicked on another favorite blog, http://www.francesschultz.com and searched for Christmas.  Eureka!  Did the same with Hollye Jacobs' blog, http://www.thesilverpen.com.  Eureka, yet again!  Okay, so it was all I could do to NOT start blaring out Christmas carols right then and there.  The Somber Ones would not have approved.  But driving home that night, the radio was playing Christmas carols and, yeah, I sang right along.  Not even the inevitable and unavoidable traffic snarls on the 836 and 826 could dampen my mood.  Got home, parked my car and got out singing Jingle Bells, I'm not sure my neighbors appreciated it, maybe they thought I had hit the spiked eggnog, NOT, but I sure felt a lot better!



Apple Pie ... Deeeeeelish!

Today I took a page from Hollye's blog and took a Pajama Day.  It has been blissful.  My Boys (Moose and Little Bit) are recovering from "El Big Snip-o" yesterday, which was a blessedly short day at the office giving me the chance to pick them up and then run some long-delayed errands with them in tow and they provided a darn handy excuse to cut some of those errands short.  Amazing what having two cats with you can do for visits you really do not want to make, but nonetheless have to.  Anyway, today has been a wonderful Pajama Day, lit my Fresh Balsam candles, made a wonderful brunch, mimosas, yay!  Settled in for a Grimm marathon (love, love, love that show), baked an apple pie, totally loving my cozy nest and it smells soooo good, did a bit of Christmas decorating ... ho, ho, ho!  Spent the better part of the afternoon watching schmaltzy Christmas movies and savoring some marshmallow caramel hot cocoa, surrounded by snoozy felines.  Perused the news and found some truly heartwarming stories, such as Shoeshine Man Retires After Donating Over $200,000 in Tips.  The shoeshine man's name is Albert Lexie.  Google him, I dare you to not get the warm fuzzies.  Then there was this one, which just grabbed me by the heart and squeezed, Boy from Iconic Wartime Photo Pays It Forward at Christmas.  Christian Golczynski was eight years old, when he lost his Daddy.  The photo of that little boy struggling to hold back his tears as he was handed that flag was all over the news.  It just broke your heart.  I don't know if you remember the photo, I sure do and it is heartwarming to see what this young man has done.  Go to http://www.asoldierschild.org.  Honestly, if I ever whine again, smack me upside the head, okay?



Sometimes we tend to get so wrapped up in the presents, the buying, the malls and the traffic, we forget to breathe, relax, just be.  Enjoy the season, remember the real reason for it.  Presents are great, but remember the why of the season.  Family, joy, hugs and laughter.  Remember to take a breath, be still, just be.  I say that a lot, don't I?  But try it, please.  I have to mention, yes, again, my friend who took over for Gina.  Her emails are always perfectly on point.  Here is an excerpt from one of her recent emails, a piece entitled Be Still, by Joyce Meyer:  "We need to learn to be quiet inside and stay in that peaceful state so that we are always ready to hear the Lord's voice.  Many people run from one thing to the next.  Because their minds don't know how to be still, they don't know how to be still.  At one time, I felt I had to find something to do every evening.  I had to be involved and on the go, being a part of whatever was going on.  I didn't want anything to go on that I didn't know about.  I was not a human being, I was a human doing."


Reading the blogs, news about the shoeshine man and Christian Golczynski, my friend's email, singing Christmas carols, remembering to be still and just savor, all these have affirmed, yet again, my faith in humanity.  It is a choice.  I choose to "Believe!" The Christmas Spirit is alive, healthy and flourishing.  Its Light cannot be diminished, obscured, dimmed.  No matter how many naysayers are out there, you just have to Believe and keep on looking for the Light.  The very reason we celebrate this most joyous season, look for the Light even when you feel whooped, pooped and shwooped, like all the air has been let out of you, when you start feeling a little Grinchy (and we all have those moments).  Close your eyes, take a deep breath, grab ahold of a good memory and look for the Light.  Trust me, you will find it.  I choose to Believe, I hope you will too.

 



Christmas Tunes

I emailed one of my Talley peeps earlier today, telling her I'd baked a pie and had been hearing what sounded like a tiny horn being played and what do you know, had found this wee, rotund elf hopping around my dining table and sent her two pictures.  She wrote back saying I should have a piece of pie and have the wee elf play some Christmas tunes.  If that isn't a marvelous example of "Believe!" I don't know what is!  Bake a pie, glitter something, make cookies with your little ones or by yourself while singing Christmas carols at the top of your lungs!  Make a joyful noise!  Enjoy, breathe, be! Try to be a human being, not a human doing.  Take a drive through your neighborhood and bask in the beautiful holiday lights.  Say happy holidays to people you don't know.  Some will return your greeting, some won't, some will be downright grouchy (and even try to lecture you, I ignore those and keep going my merry way), others will just stare (sigh).  At any rate, you're bound to brighten someone's day.  You can also say "Bah, humbug!" to the grouchy ones.  Yes, I know, that's poking at the bear.  Sometimes you just hafta!
 

Well, in my neck of the woods it is way past 11 p.m.  Time for sleepers, tomorrow there's decorating to do, brownies, chocolate cake and cookies to bake, candles to light and friends to welcome for the aforesaid goodies and hot cocoa with plenty of marsh-a-mallows (as my Dad used to say) and a peppermint candy cane stirrer thrown in for good measure.  Until next time, be blessed, Believe and keep the faith!  Remember, he's making a list and checking it twice, gonna find out who's naughty or nice!