Meme and TCB

Karen over at Short Story Long tagged me for a "photo" meme. (Thank goodness she did, too, because I've had precious little to talk about the last couple of weeks!) I'm to find the fourth photo folder on my computer, and post the fourth picture in it, then explain it.


This is a photo of a rogue lily I found over in my side yard, where there's never been one before. I have no others like it anywhere in my yard, so some little critter must be responsible for its existence. I hope it comes back next summer.

So, what have I been up to the last couple of weeks? Well, there's been a long dentist appointment, a staff meeting, a meeting about new insurance, a groomer's appointment for Tandi and subsequent major cleaning session, (looking for fleas), a guild holiday luncheon, a quilting bee potluck, some grocery shopping, thrift shop donation, and the ever-present job--in which I've been kicked in the cheekbone by a dementia patient and called an angel by the fiance of a dying patient all in the same night--but not much Christmassing. I'm feeling overwhelmed.

The tree is assembled and "fluffed" and the lights are on--but nothing else. I did get the yard card set up and a make-shift manger and the 3-foot electric candles in the front yard. No gifts are wrapped, there are about 4 items placed around the house, I have to work 5 of the remaining 7 days til Christmas, and I have to empty the sewing room in preparation for my brother and his wife to come visit a week earlier than usual. And yet, I promised the rescue organization where I bought Tandi that I would make some crate pads to keep the dogs warm this winter. Fortunately, the weather has been unseasonably warm in our part of the country so far, but I'm feeling very overwhelmed, and very tired.

My efforts to Take Christmas Back have failed--I wasn't able to get to the mall to choose a name from the Angel Tree before the deadline, I couldn't find time to volunteer to be a bell-ringer, I bought items for a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child--only to find out it was too late for this Christmas, and I've only made and delivered one batch of cookies. I think I overestimated what I could do, and no matter how good my intentions were, my plans became yet another list of duties, responsibilities, "should-dos". There was no joy in it anymore, and that was defeating the whole purpose.

However, the majority of my list consisted of things that don't have to be done at Christmas--they can be done anytime. My fire department would undoubtedly love a big batch of cookies in January just as much as they would at Christmas. And anonymously paying for someone else's meal might be more welcome after the holidays. I think I'm going to postpone this list for now. Other opportunities may arise that I can fulfill between now and next Thursday, and I will try to keep my eyes open for them, but for now, the best way for me to Take Christmas Back is to not over-commit and therefore spoil it for my family.

I'm hoping you all are having a joyous, but peaceful week.

Opportunities # 2 and #3

I love Christmas cards. I love sending them and I especially love receiving them. I love the colors and the artwork and the way they look all grouped together. I love the photos of families and I even (mostly) love the newsletters that come with some of them. Some of my friends and family members are extra creative and make their own and I look forward to seeing what they chose to do this year. I used to make my own, but haven't in a while, though I want to get back to doing it again.

Email cards are convenient, and for those who have small children, multiple jobs, busy lives, I understand the advantage. But when Tandi and I go out to the mailbox, and I reach in and pull out a hand-addressed envelope, I'm tearing it open before I get back to the porch, eager to see what lovelies have been sent our way, and what bits of family news might be there. I know we should be staying in touch throughout the year, but if we don't, then I'm glad Christmas cards are there to remind us to at least touch base once during the year.

Every year I exchange cards with a couple I assisted when I used to do Workers' Comp case management--and I haven't done that work since 1993. One year, he sent me a signed copy of a book he wrote about the Inn in Bethlehem. I love it. And I send a card each year to the parents of a 32-yr-old breast cancer victim I cared for who died in 2005. We shared many hugs and tears over several months, and that family really touched my heart.

When we nurses get an occasional thank-you card or Christmas card from former patients and/or their families, we invariably smile and melt just a little. It's nice to hear they are doing better, or even that their loved ones are coping with their loss. So I imagine the staff at my doctor's office or my vet's office, or even my dentist's office feel the same way. (Chocolate is always appreciated, too, but let's not get greedy.)

I'm even sending one to my trash pickup service this year. It's a couple-owned business, (in my area, we have to contract with a garbage service of our own, as we are in a "village", not part of the city) and I doubt they get many thanks. I mean, how do you give them fudge or cookies? And I DO appreciate what they do. Boy, do I appreciate them!

As part of my Take Christmas Back effort this season, I decided to buy faith-based cards to send out. There are many things I enjoy about the season--Santas and trees and angels and candles--but without the birth of Jesus, we'd only be celebrating "happy holidays" or "winter" or some such nonsense. I'm not out to offend anyone, and I'll wish Happy Hannukah to my Jewish friends, but I celebrate Christmas, and I'm not ashamed to say so.

Besides the ones I bought this year, we've received blank cards from organizations hoping for donations, and I have a few stray cards left from years past. The American Red Cross has a program entitled Holiday Mail for Heroes, in which they are aiming for one million cards sent "to American service members, veterans and their families in the US and around the world." So I have put a short message in 8 cards and will be dropping these off at the Post Office today, as they need to be postmarked by tomorrow.

Sure, it takes time and effort to write a note, address and stamp envelopes and get a few dozen cards into the mail in this busy season, but for a few hours each year, it is nice to slow down and think about specific friends and families and acquaintances and what they mean to me.




Edited to add: I guess the cards had to be individually postmarked by 12/10--meaning they need to be ready to send out from Maryland tomorrow--because the post office couldn't pull up a zip code for the address on the site. I'm going to search online and see if there is somewhere I can send these out myself, probably individually.