Hope for the Holidays

Every year on Labor Day, I begin looking forward to the holidays, which for me begin with Halloween and end with New Year's Day. I love decorating for fall with pumpkins and scarecrows, and then switching the theme to Christmas on the day after Thanksgiving. The invitations start arriving in November and I fill up the calendar with all kinds of festivities, from concerts to parties to simple luncheons with friends. It's thrilling for me to see the variety of activities in every square of the December calendar. By the second week of December, thrill has turned into stress and all those fun parties I anticipated seem like a massive dose of unhealthful pressure. Gary and I realize that we can't be three places at once, or even three places in one day. We are exhausted after stringing lights, shopping for and wrapping dozens of gifts, and addressing hundreds of envelopes for the infamous holiday letter I feel compelled to write because it feels therapeutic. In fact, it's the holiday letter that puts us back in the spirit of hope and good humor. Looking back over an entire year of good and bad times helps neutralize the pressure of the present and gives us the perspective that we can "just say no" and have a quiet day if we so desire. A day off now and then restores those precious holiday feelings of joy and hope. Enjoy the holiday season!