It’s here and I can’t believe it.
Decorations, candy canes, lights and even trees.
I’m not ready, and I never seem to be. You’d think I’d get my act together as I have to shop for two families on either coast.
With family in Cape Breton and Vancouver Island, you have to be on top of the shipping schedule, which of course I’m not.
It’s always last minute, frantically waiting in the post office line at 4:55 p.m. on the first week of December.
It’s absolute madness really, and I don’t know why I do it to myself, and everyone else in my path.
Every year, I’m always disappointed with Christmas - I do have high hopes for the holiday, but the reality of it, is it’s not really “magical” anymore.
It’s the season of commercial nonsense shoved down your throat from now - middle of November - until the end of December.
The pressure some families put on itself is insane.
Finding the perfect present, the perfect tree, the perfect turkey etc.
It’s overwhelming, and exhausting.
Now, maybe it’s because I don’t - and haven’t for a long time - spent Christmas with family.
The schedule of a newspaper never allows you leave during the holidays.
Maybe it’s because I don’t bother to put up a tree, as I find it fundamentally wrong to kill trees as sacrifice for decoration, and the plastic trees just aren’t the same.
Growing up, I was lucky to have gifts, the big tree and the big feast. I remember trying - and failing miserably - to get to sleep on Christmas Eve.
It seemed like the night would never end, so I’d go wake up my younger brother so I wasn’t so bored.
My parents loved that.
We’d run downstairs and tear through the gifts “Santa” left us.
I can still remember the taste of Christmas breakfast; fresh baked croissants with cheese.
Man that was good, and I just can’t seem to make it like mom does.
Eggnog while watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas after a perfect Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, is the kind of magical feeling I miss.
Now, I’m a good cook. Some people collect shoes, I collect cookbooks. A lot of them, and I can’t make a Christmas feast like the one I had growing up.
What is it about getting older? Why does the same holiday evoke different emotions?
I guess, it’s life that gets in the way. Why spend money on gifts when there are mortgage payments coming, insurance payments or car payments?
At our house, my partner and I use it as a time to relax, which is nice as we both have busy schedules.
I make a toned down version of the Christmas feast, we exchange a few gifts, Skype family and that’s that.
I suppose I could try a little harder, make more of an effort, maybe put up a tree.
But without all of our family there it’s not quite the same.
So I suppose that’s the point. It’s all about family.
I would forego all the gifts to have a packed table with those I love.
I could also make it easier on myself by being prepared and getting ahead of the game.
Actually making a list and not frantically coming up with gift ideas at the last minute.
As the malls slowly start to see more shoppers and parking stalls are still available, now would be the perfect time to start the shopping.
Ah, who are we kidding, I still have two more weeks.
