"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas"

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas"

At least it is here in New Jersey, after a snowstorm that made a lot of news. It was not actually all that much snow, or anything. Just enough, really, to lay a comfortable coat of snow on the grounds, and slow down traffic a bit.

I know it's not yet December, and we're still almost a month away still from the start of winter officially, with the Winter solstice. Still, there is that feel in the air now. It is, after all, past Thanksgiving, and those shopping "holidays" that follow that. I tend to avoid those, but I just remembered that I need to stop at the Hess station in order to pick up the Hess truck for my son, which has kind of become a holiday tradition of sorts. He has apparently already been asking for it. 

Also, the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center was lit up last night. I must be getting old, because I remember when it was a big thing just for it to get lit up on it's own. Now, they have a concert that is televised nationally, I believe, and it is billed up as a bigger deal than ever. I have never actually been to one of those tree lighting ceremonies, but have seen the tree all lit up. Perhaps that would be something to do with my son this year, as well. 

Although it is on a much smaller scale, my girlfriend and I had put up and decorated the Christmas tree, and it looked really pretty. Sitting there in the living room as the snow fell, I looked at the tree, and thought it all seemed so nice. So, I went over and lit it up.

She tends to decorate the apartment rather elaborately for Christmas, really having the spirit.  She also tends to decorate the place early - a week before Thanksgiving, in this case, and only largely because I did not allow her to do t even earlier than that.

So, as I write this as the moment, the apartment is well decorated and in full Christmas mode, and there is snow on the ground, and the temperatures at the moment are cold.

It is, indeed, beginning to look, and feel, a lot like Christmas. Also, I am maintaining my annual Christmas tradition of getting some gifts ridiculously early, and then largely forgetting about it, then falling ridiculously behind, thus needing to rush out in the days and hours before Christmas.

Sigh.

In any case, the holiday season tends to be a mixed bag for a lot of people. I think that I can sympathize with both sides. There is a special feel often times leading up to the holidays. A certain charm, and a pleasant feel overall. It just feels nice, and the decorations can indeed be quite pretty.

On the other hand, it is so over-commercialized and hyped up, that it is hard to dismiss the moneymaking machinery grinding and hard at work. The stress of getting presents for everyone, the stress perhaps of having to deal with family (again, for those of us living in the United States, who had to do so recently, during Thanksgiving), the end of an old year and seeing yet another year race by and reminding us of how old we might be getting, and the beginning of a new year. 

Still, I want to remember the more pleasant aspects, and having a child who talks eagerly about it all kind of helps with that. My son, like any child would, wants to know what he is getting for Christmas. He wants a lot of gifts, cool toys to play with. His childish enthusiasm will last a few more years, and I want to enjoy it while it is here. That is no small part of the magic of Christmas, and let him enjoy it! I had my turn, and can relive those old memories of mine through his enthusiasm, although I am now on the other side of it all, the adult side.

True, some people really tend to view the negatives over the positives, and I can understand this. Not being particularly religious, I still enjoy the spirit behind the holiday tradition, although this is often lost in the barrage of focusing on expensive gifts, and radio and television commentaries discussing whether this was a good year or a disappointing one for the retailers. But all it takes for me to get back in the spirit, is to see the enthusiasm in my son's eyes, or the charming scene that Basia has created in decorating the place for the holidays. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, indeed!