Finding the happy

I never really do much of a Christmas (or even, year-end) review, like some bloggers do. Part of this is that I'm usually away from regular easy computer access at that time, part of it is I'm caught up in other stuff, whether that other stuff is enjoying the rest of break or worrying about how I'm going to manage to get home given whatever "service disruption" is going on.

One thing I do have to say: I always find it a little hard to "put away" Christmas (and yes, arguably, spiritually, you should not "put away" Christmas, but I mean the physical trappings of it). I have to do it twice, just as I get to decorate twice - first, I decorate my home, then when I am up at my parents, I help them decorate, then I help undecorate their place (I did most of the tree-taking-down this year as they were busy) and then, finally, when I get home, I undecorate my place.

I admit, it looks a little empty and sterile (as much as my cluttered colorful full-of-weird vintage-stuff house ever seems very sterile). I spent some time catching up on various bloggers online, and some of the ones (like the Bucksnort Chronicles) that had LOTS of Christmas decoration pictures up, I looked at them longingly.

I never quite feel like I *enjoy* Christmas enough, like it happens too quickly any more and is over too quickly. When I was a kid, it seemed like it was *forever* until Christmas (I remember the tree as being up for weeks and weeks before the holiday, but I'm betting we put it up less than a week before Christmas, as we always had a cut tree). Now it seems like you blink and it's over.

One thing about Christmas: I think in our current culture we are way too fast to start the run-up to it (those stations that start playing Christmas music on November 1) but we are also way too fast to "turn it off" (on Dec. 26, many of the digital channels that had played Christmas music went back to their ordinary fare, and there were no more movies with Christmas themes shown on tv - if you miss the annual showing of, say "The Bishop's Wife," you're out of luck. (I did; it fell during the Christmas Eve service at church).

I'd rather we started the "planning" or "official countdown" later (wait until after Thanksgiving for the decorations in the mall and the music on the radio) BUT kept Christmas going a little longer after the 25th. Some of us (not all, I know) are still off work for at least a few days after Christmas, and it's nice to be able to hug it to ourselves for a little longer. Just as it feels a little ridiculous to have all the run-up stuff happening before Thanksgiving, it feels wrong to switch it all off on the 26th.

There used to be "The Twelve Days of Christmas" which was the time period between the day itself and Epiphany, and it was a general period of celebration - and then on Epiphany, you took down the decorations (and in the old days, burned some of them - I think the holly people put up was burnt) and THEN you went back to "ordinary time" (In all senses of the word: liturgically, Ordinary Time is after Epiphany but before Lent)

Some years I dug out all my pressed-glass stuff and set it up with candles in it. I didn't do that this year; my mantel is otherwise occupied and I don't have a good place where I don't fear the flammability to set them up otherwise.

I am trying to find small fun things to insert into my life, things that will make me happy and make whatever bleakness we get this winter (though right now the sun is shining and it's almost 60 F out) a little less difficult. I have tentative plans to go to Sherman on Saturday and just roam the JoAnn's and maybe even (despite my past stated dislike of Valentine's Day) get a Valentine's wreath or similar decoration to put up (or maybe just a silk flower wreath, if I can find a nice one). Maybe decorate a *little* for V-day and St. Paddy's and Easter (Easter, this year, comes hard on the heels of St. Patrick's day, so I might just do Easter, I don't know)

I decided to try out a "subscription service" again - not for food this time (food has become so fraught between my bad teeth and my allergies that I can't do any kind of "surprise package" stuff any more) but on Super Cute Kawaii (see the side bar) they advertised a company that does what are called "Doki Doki*" boxes that come with a number of "kawaii" items - many of them, it looks like, toys.

I like toys. And I like cute things. And I like getting fun mail. So I sprang for one of the boxes. They are not cheap, but then again, they are cheaper than a couple of restaurant meals would be, they are cheaper than going to a couple of movies, they are cheaper than a lot of other indulgences. I can cancel if I decide it's not for me or it's too expensive. But some kind of little nice surprise on a regular basis is something my life lacks, so I am looking forward to it. (I got in in time for the February box, so I will get one for my birth-month).

(*I think that is the Japanese for the sound a heartbeat makes, as in, it makes your heart flutter because it's so cute)

And, I can always swap the things I don't want to keep - I am going to do more swaps on Ravelry as they become available. (I signed up for the one ITFF is doing). I know, I once complained about getting skunked in an online swap but I'm thinking of these now less as a chance for me to receive stuff than as a chance for me to make someone's day fun by sending them little gifts.

And one other good thing - I just got an e-mail from my piano teacher. She has changed jobs again and apparently will be closer to me - so she is going to start offering lessons again! When she signed off with me in the fall I didn't think lessons would happen with her again and was beginning to contemplate who would be the best person to ask this spring if they had any recommendations. So I e-mailed her back and said, yes, I want to take lessons again. I just started working on "Sleepy Lagoon" yesterday (surprisingly, it seems it will not be that hard to master - there are some odd places where there's a progression of chords, in the "vamp" leading up to the song and also midway - but this may be the first thing I work on with her.) So I guess another thing to start thinking about is what I might want to seriously work on with her in the way of pieces.

One last thing: am contemplating once again this year putting out the offer of sending Valentines to anyone who would like one. I saw a box of Minion valentines (the little inexpensive ones that schoolkids give out) somewhere, and I thought that sending out "miniontines" would be funny. So if I do wind up buying a box or two, you can send me your e-mail address and I'll send you a card with Kevin or Bob or whoever on it.