It's the most wonderful time of the year...really?

It's our first holiday season as a "family" and I'm perplexed. I expected fireworks, street parades; esentially, a Normal Rockwell Christmas. What gives? I can't seem to catch the Christmas spirit. We almost didn't put up a tree, for goodness sakes. I kept thinking, he won't even remember it and the house is on the market; I don't want the room to look smaller. I haven't played any Christmas music at home yet, nor made my Grandma's cookies.

On a positive note, though, shopping has not been as torturous as usual. Normally, I consider getting everyone I love a lump a coal, because I cannot stand pondering what to get someone or staring at the mall display wondering to myself, "Will so and so like this Mustang computer mouse?"  What is the point?

Fighting the crowds doesn't really bother me until Christmas Eve when the malls become so crowded I am sure we are being herded to a secret slaughterhouse. If I hit that point, everyone left gets a nice lump of you know what.

On another positive note, the highlight of the season for me so far has been giving and receiving Christmas cards. The photo cards of all our friends and their children hanging on my door are a nice reminder of the love and friendship that has blessed our lives. To me, that feeling is what Christmas is all about. Not the presents or the parties.

If it's not too premature to start setting New Year's resolutions, mine would be to cut out all of the "stuff" that keeps me from enjoying what's really important in life. Buy what I need, surround myself with people who make me feel loved (more importantly, cut out the people who don't) and enjoy every day with my son and husband.

'Tis the season.