Every year, the holidays roll around, and it always seems to surprise us! The few weeks of the holiday season promise fun, frustration, laughter, anxiety, tears, and joy. No other time of year affects us like the holidays.
This year, I feel like a scrooge. Since diabetes runs in my family, I am skipping cookie baking. The lousy economy has left us with little to splurge on decorations. A basement flood has molded what decorations we did have. It just seems that putting up lights and trees for a few weeks is just too much trouble.
All of this baa-humbug has allowed me more time for the more important aspects of the holidays - celebrating with those friends that have supported us through thick and thin all year, reconnecting with family, and enjoying seeing the deer forage during an early snowfall.
I like to take stock of the meaning of things every so often. It is the little things that make the holidays shine. My mom made us a boxwood Christmas tree, since she knew we wouldn't be putting a tree up this year. (Lucy, our dog, discovered it, so it is a bit off balance now!)
And, I am allowing myself more time to paint. In previous years, every minute leading up to Dec. 25th was spent shopping and wrapping, and fretting over what we have bought for our family and friends. This year, simple art gifts and books, and even cash for the kids, has replaced the hours of shopping and waiting in line behind impatient customers.
So going into this holiday season, I feel a renewed strength, and a peacefulness that has eluded me in previous years. I hope that you also find peace during this frenetic season. If you are the anxious type, remember - it will only last a few weeks!
Artfully yours,
Cathy Harville
www.harvilleart.com
mysilpada.com/cathy.harville
cathy.harville@gmail.com
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