I Had a Dickens of a Time

For some reason I have been having a tough time getting into the holiday groove.  It could be because December snuck right up on me.  Didn’t even see it coming until a couple of days ago and it was already the middle of the month.  Never mind that I should have been prepared since the rest of the year flew by, too.  Or it could be that I have been doing most of my shopping online with my new addiction to E-bay and bypassing the frenzy, frolic and fanfare of the mall.  Even with the requisite snowfall, scented candle burning and mandatory decorating I was beginning to worry that this season would go down in history as humdrum and normal.

Then it happened… I had an encounter with a real, live Scrooge, a malevolent little being with a malicious spirit.  I was happily going along, content in my oblivion when I was broadsided by this cyclone of detestation. Surprised, bewildered and flabbergasted by the utterance spewed forth, I quickly felt my defense mechanisms kick in.  It was over before it seemingly happened; yet the wind in my sails was gone.  If anger, umbrage and resentment are a human’s retort to such a barrage, I am officially part of the race.  After the pouring out of my heart to my “listener of all and adjudicator in everything good and right” (aka my sweetiekins) along with my cursory assessment of the damage, things quickly took a turn for the better.

Jolted into the reality that in the spectrum of life such happenings are so miniscule that they don’t deserve the time of day, an extra breath, or a second thought.  When incidents of far greater magnitude and significance are happening in the world it quickly puts into perspective what is important.  Things such as peace, good health and love of family come to mind and I was not about to let any intruder interfere.  It was time for me to step back, take a second look at the things that I have normally taken for granted and appreciate them a bit more.

I felt the holiday spirit overtake me, from the negative energy arose such a powerful, constructive force I could not restrain the fervor.  The thought of the four holiday parties in one week, my husband’s birthday two days before Christmas, the dozen visitors that will be descending upon us for the last two weeks of the year, the cooking, cleaning and preparing all took on a new meaning and were something to now look forward to.  This is the time of year to be surrounded by loved ones and friends to celebrate the good fortune we have in each other, good health, happiness and love. It sounds so simple but not everyone is so lucky.

As I polish up my son’s menorah, light up the tree (in our family we celebrate everything) and contemplate the flavor and design of my snookum’s birthday cake I wish I could personally thank Charles Dickens for helping me find the true meaning of the season.  Do yourself a favor, don’t expend any unnecessary energy on unconstructive issues, take it from me and bypass that nasty business and get down to enjoy what really matters.  Happiest of Holidays to you and your family.

Cynthia A. McClelland, curious observer of the obvious with interpretations of the oddities of daily life. Mother, wife and lover of the furry, resides in the north Lake Tahoe area.

Cynthia A. McClelland © 2003-