Holiday Cravings

The winter holidays are upon us.  Winter's chill creeps in and changes the landscape around us.  Something different is in the air, and I love this charge in the atmosphere.

While I don't necessarily subscribe to the religious meanings behind Christmas, I look forward to reveling in the holiday mood.  Spending time with friends and family and creating memories to share.  Basking in the glow of the season and enjoying the music and decorations. 

When I was a child, it was so easy.  Christmas descended upon us, bringing a specialsomething to life.  As I've grown older, the holidays must have found a way to muffle the cheery jingling of bells, because they've snuck up on me before I know what's going on.  I would so love to go back to the simple and joyous days of childhood – when Christmas meant magic.

Sometimes it's hard to find myself slipping into the mood.  Throughout our time together, Hubby and I have often found ourselves in a state of upheaval during the holiday season.  More often than not, we're separated or in the middle of a move, making celebrating the season hard.  Two Christmases ago, he was deployed to the Middle East.  I decorated a small corner of the apartment and left the decorations up for two months until he came home.  I remember spending Christmas night in a hotel last year, eating dinner at Denny's.  I told Hubby that next year it would be different – we would be in our very own home and I would be able to cook a fabulous feast for the two of us.  Things didn't pan out that way – he's back in the Middle East again, and we're looking to chalk another holiday season up to being apart.  Ah, well…maybe next year.       

I so desperately want to get into the holiday spirit.  I want to revel in the joy of the season and the beautiful decorations.  I want to give in to the magic and the music and feel the warmth of the celebration of the season.  I would love to spend the holidays ensconced in the warmth of our home and decorate with wild abandon.  A tree, lights, wreaths, stockings, garlands and candles all aglow.  We have all of these things, patiently waiting in boxes in the attic for us to rediscover them and allow them to shine for that short period of the year that they are allowed.

In the absence of these things, I have vowed that I will do my best to find a piece of the season this year.  I've pulled out my shoebox of Christmas CDs and play them in the evenings.  I plan to hang lights on the eaves and place some decorations throughout the yard.  Maybe these small steps can tide me over this year, and we'll see what next year holds.  One day, I hope to rediscover the joy of this glorious season and recapture the magic.