Monday, December 08, 2008

Sundays, Holidays and Friends



I've spent the day knocking around the house, taking pictures of Christmas things, getting more presents ready, doing some journaling, and just enjoying the season. This is my very favorite time of year and I don't want to waste a moment of it.

Although I'm always thinking about Christmas, there's something magical to me about the rest of the world being in the holiday spirit, too. Just a trip out to the grocery is brighter and cheerier. There's Christmas music on the radio all the time. Christmas lights are popping up all over. Cards are arriving every day. And being in touch with friends, old and new, is a real treat.

Terry stopped by this afternoon and we visited for bit. I hadn't had a chance to chat with him for quite awhile so that was nice.

Then later tonight I had a call from Brian, a friend from college. I missed his call - he left a message on the machine and I never answer that phone - but hopefully we'll connect soon. I neglected to include my cell phone number in my Christmas letter this year, and he didn't leave his number, probably assuming I had called ID. He had gotten my card/letter and called to visit. Brian and I shared a lot of really interesting times together. It will be good to catch up.

In the last few days I also heard from another old college friend. He found me on online and sent a note. We haven't talked in more than 20 years and he just popped up out of the blue. It was really, really good to hear from him. We had one of those relationships that covered a lot of ground in the years we knew each other. We didn't part badly at all, we just parted. I moved and we lost touch. It was really good to see his name pop up on the computer screen after all these years.

I thought how different our lives would have been if we'd been as connected technologically then as we are now. These days if you're willing to connect, it's easy to make yourself available with a website or facebook page or whatever. I love to make connection with people. There is no one I can think of that I had a relationship or friendship with in the past that I wouldn't be happy to hear from today. Of course, you both do have to want to connect or it doesn't matter how much technology is at your disposal.

I have barely left my home all weekend. Lunch at Roy's yesterday and a trip to the grocery tonight is it. It's hard to get me out of my home for anything not completely necessary during the holiday season. I love being surrounded by the decorations.

Someone asked me yesterday if I had anything in my Christmas decorations I had paid full price for. I thought for a minute and the only things I could come up with are really cheap little ornaments needed to fill in here and there at times. For example, I bought some ornaments this year that were four for 97 cents to fill in on the white/silver/blue tree. But, all the big stuff was bought on sale I think. There's a reason I'm out every year on December 26. Although, more and more stores give us the opportunity to buy things at half off even before the holiday. There will be some things I want to pick up this year, but nothing major I don't think.

But there are always things I find in Paducah that I haven't seen here. For example, these Santa ornaments. I picked these up a couple of years ago and I hadn't seen them until the day after Christmas. I loved them, although I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do with them yet. Maybe those decorating shows are on to something when they say you should just buy what you love and it will all work. Of course, that's considerably less risky when it's half off a $7.97 Christmas ornament than when it's a full priced, custom designed, $6,000 sofa.


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