At my woman's group tonight we spent a fair amount of time talking about holiday traditions. We each shared memories from our childhood or some ladies talked about when their kids were small. It was really neat.
I'm starting to feel more feastive. Being in California always throws off my internal calendar, since I can't tell the time of year by the weather. The leaves are just changing color and falling now, there's finally a nip in the air, and I need to wear a coat at night. To me that means that Halloween must be getting close. I forget that Halloween has come and past and yo and behold, Thanksgiving is a little more than a week away. Cripes. I am so not ready for the holidays.
Part of it I think is that this is the first holiday season as a divorcee. Holidays have always been very "couple based" for me, especially since college. It will help a lot that E and I are going back to CT for Kitmas. We'll get to see our mothers, and I can see my brother's new house, and visit with the kids. It will be lots of fun. Really, it will.
But I keep forgetting that that is coming up soon. And I need to buy presents for everyone so I can bring them with me. And I need to dig out my heavy coat and gloves and boots. And I need to order the baklava from Jordan. And what about Christmas cookies. And the cards - I don't even have cards yet. And goodness gracious, it just seems like so much work. But yet it doesn't feel like the holidays without it.
This is me with my Cousin Eric and Papa Artie, at my grandparents' house in Fairfield. This must have been Christmas 1976, so I was 2, almost 3 and my cousin was almost 1. I miss those days. I miss how the holidays were such joyous, happy times. I looked forward all year to Christmas. I'm sad that the holidays don't feel the same anymore.
