holiday season: Deck the halls! A celebration of a new beginning
- 11/24/12 09:55 PM
As daylight ebbs and darkness flowsAnd Arctic blasts set chill to bones.We fend the charge with cheer and light,Then celebrate the winter night! (R Weisser 2012) Well it’s THAT time of year again. Time to deck the halls and don our gay apparel. The holiday season is upon us. And as we participate in the ancient rituals of our ancestors, we are doing something innately inbred in the human psyche. It is our biological nature to mitigate the onset of winter with light and heat and stores of food! And while we may not do it consciously, it is … (10 comments)
holiday season: The holiday stretch!
- 11/20/12 08:49 PM
No, I’m not talking about the stress on your clothing which suddenly becomes tighter after a seasonal feast! I am referring to the fact that one day is stretched into a long weekend, or two days are stretched into an entire month, or three days are stretched into six weeks of revelry. Perhaps the word “holiday” is obsolete. Maybe it should be “holimonth” or “holiseason.” And while we are speaking of “seasons,” perhaps the holidays should be declared an official season. Spring, Summer, Autumn,Holiday, and Winter. However you look at it, Thanksgiving is here and the holiday season has commenced! Fa … (10 comments)
holiday season: The last smattering of Autumn and the onset of the holiday season.
- 11/15/12 09:07 PM
As we delve deeper and deeper into November, the once fiery profusion of Fall color has been reduced to a occasional smattering of dying embers. However, the despondency accompanying the eroding of the once glorious display of the annual metamorphosis is offset by corresponding onset of the holiday season. The sudden realization that the year-end festivities are just around the corner provokes all of the emotions, especially a weird combination of excitement and panic that thrill us into a pleasant state of exhilaration. It’s also time to assess where we are in life, and to tweak our plans for the upcoming … (11 comments)
holiday season: Oh my goodness … Can it be December already? Staying focused on what is REALLY important in life.
- 12/01/11 12:54 AM
For whatever reason, the last few weeks of the year become a vortex that accelerates with each rotation. It seems that the days are sucked away as we scramble to maintain composure in the face of deadlines of both work and the demands of the season. As we struggle against the tempest of time, the festivities of the holidays are often relegated to the status of “as time allows" as we remain determined to make a living. Which is really quite sad when you think about it. Even Ebenezer Scrooge finally realized that there are things in life that are more … (13 comments)
holiday season: I can’t believe I did what I did! But I did!
- 11/07/11 11:41 PM
Yesterday was November 7th and I decided to get a jump on the holiday season in a most proactive way. So up from the basement came the boxes and sacks full with the tangible collective memories of holidays past. As each treasure was once again revealed to me, I remembered when and where or from whom it was acquired. Every piece has its own story, and it’s cathartic to reminisce about the people, places, and good times of the past. Why did I start so early this year? Even before all of the leaves have hit the ground? I think that … (25 comments)
holiday season: Getting into the holiday spirit is easier when it’s freezing!
- 12/05/10 12:35 PM
Growing up in Western Pennsylvania, the holiday season was frequently punctuated with snow and always accompanied by cold weather. Here in Newnan Georgia, our winter weather hinges on the wind. When the wind blows from the cold Canadian North, we have typical winter weather. If it blows from the South, we have warm breezes from the Gulf of Mexico Should the two collide, we have a blizzard! Tonight, it is just very cold, which seems to make the holiday lights burn a little brighter. After a nice bone-chilling walk around the neighborhood, it’s nice to retire to the family room with … (7 comments)
holiday season: Warning! Warning! We are about to enter the Holiday Zone!
- 11/16/09 11:01 PM
Can you believe that Thanksgiving is next week? Like it or not, “the holidays” are here and from next Monday until January 2 we will all slip into an alternate lifestyle. It’s not just that the upcoming festivities require actual preparation and make real demands on our already precious time, it’s also that we all tend to slip into some kind of alter ego personality, much more easy-going and relaxed and ready to savor life. It’s a pleasant time of year that makes the onset of winter more palatable, and a time that we can reconnect with family and old … (29 comments)
As daylight ebbs and darkness flowsAnd Arctic blasts set chill to bones.We fend the charge with cheer and light,Then celebrate the winter night! (R Weisser 2012) 
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