We now exist in the days
between—the 26 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. When we were kids they
were the most anxiety ridden days of our existence during the year. We were
kept very busy so we did not think of that glorious morning when we came
downstairs to see a present-laden tree before us. The anticipation of that one
yearly moment in our lives was almost unbearable.
These 26 days are full
of activities and of rushing around to make everything perfect for our families
for that one day that lies on the other end of the spectrum. Remember the
Christmas art classes in school, the school Christmas program when we all
memorized one line of a poem to speak in succession while on stage? We might
also have some lines to memorize for our church programs.
Besides these activities
there was any number of community events and club events to go to. From the
lighting of the town tree to concerts at the Farnsworth to performances by the
choral groups in the area to swapping small gifts at our local service club to
attending our church Christmas fairs. On top of all that, the Christmas menu
had to be thought about as well as fitting in time to do some actual Christmas
shopping.
As if you don’t have
enough to think about in these 26 days, oops 22 as of today, I have some more
things for you to think about. I have my Facebook friends to thank for some of
these ideas as well as some of my favorite Facebook (FB) pages that interest
me.
The picture at the top
of this story is a picture of the lobster tree lighting for this year. Several
of my FB friends shared the image with me including my friend and classmate,
Louise Flint. Someday I hope to see that process and lighting for myself.
For Christmas ideas with
a coastal Maine flair I offer the great FB page “Lobstering Is An Art.” Check
it out. There are some great ideas there.
I also downloaded some
suggestions for making your Christmas tree and your cat safe and happy this
season. The FB page “And my Cat” has a list of precautions to take so that you
avoid a Christmas tree disaster. Look for the separate blog story which
accompanies this one.
Decorations
If you don’t want to use
a bunch of your Christmas money buying decorations for your house, here are
some suggestions.
1.
Get
the kids involved. Buy a pack of red and green construction paper. Hand them a
pair of kid-friendly scissors and some glue. Let them use their imaginations to
produce some Christmas pictures to hang. I suggest that there is any number of
coastal Maine decorations found in nature which would make great decorations.
For example: any number of native grasses; pussy willows or cat ‘n nine tails
if you have some; dried flowers you may have saved from the summer; shells;
beach glass; small pieces of driftwood; favorite small rocks the kids may have
saved. Besides pictures they should be able to fashion some Christmas ornaments
too. If you can spare the money for some glitter glue so much the better.
2.
Any
good sized branch with many extensions can be spray painted to make a special
decoration. In fact, anything in nature can be sprayed gold or silver and make
a great decoration. Add ornaments to the branch and hang it on the wall and
you’ll look like a famous interior decorator.
3.
Find
a nice glass bowl or flower vase that has been just sitting around, clean it up
and fill it with a bunch of lemons or limes or other colorful fruit. Fruit always
adds nice color to a room. You can even use the lemons and limes for your
drinks later.
Those are just three ideas you can use
with a minimum amount of time spent in your busy schedule. I’m sure you can
think of many more.
Gift Ideas
I strongly suggest that after you have
grabbed up all the bargains to be had in the big box stores that you take a
stroll down Main Street. Your local merchants depend on you as much as the big
stores do, maybe more. Keep your economy going by buying local. Of course, hee
hee, I suggest also that you stop by Hello Hello Books or The Reading Corner
and pick up a signed copy of my book, The
South End.
You might also think of those unusual
things like a day at the spa for your mother; tickets to a special game or
event in your area, even season tickets if you can swing them; any tickets are
a winner, like concerts, plays, etc.
Think also of local trips you might
buy for your out-of-town summer visitors so they will have something to do when
they come to visit next summer. Look into a daily or three-day cruise on one of
our Windjammers or local excursion boats. There is also a Lighthouse Tour in
Rockland you might look into. The best part of this gift is that you don’t have
to wrap it up and then spend more time in line to send it at the mailbox store
or the post office. See, I’m saving you time all over the place!
Photography as a Gift
If you are like me, I really enjoy
looking at a beautiful picture of Maine whether it’s a coastal scene or country
scene. When I have my own house again I plan to fill the walls with such
pictures. I suggest the photographers below, some of whom are local. You can
purchase a print of their work as well as in the form of a canvas in some cases.
Be sure to check their shipping schedules when you go to their sights so you
will get them in time for Christmas:
Paul Cyr: http://www.paulcyrphotography.com/ Check the “contact Paul” to see how
you can purchase his work.
If there is a history buff on your
list, check out the Rockland History page on Facebook for available prints.
A Good Laugh
If you want a good laugh to relieve
the stress of a busy day, check out the video my friend Laurel Butler Pierce
posted yesterday from YouTube: “12 Days of Christmas” by The Bitchy Waiter. I
believe Laurel is a waitress when she’s not skating with the Rock Coast
Rollers. The video is hilarious and certainly brought me a chuckle or two.
Random Act of Kindness
Finally I think that Christmas is the
perfect time for a random act of kindness towards someone who may not be as
fortunate this Christmas. I’m thinking especially of an older person who lives
alone; maybe a widow or widower; whose family is not close by and who may feel
lonely at times.
Try to do something special for this
person, preferably anonymous. There is an ad on TV right now where a young
couple in an apartment building sneaks into an elderly woman’s apartment and
totally decorates her place with a tree and lights and the whole thing. While
you may not be able to do all that, even a small decorated tree left at their
doorstep would certainly lighten their day and bring the Spirit of Christmas
into his or her life.
You can find small artificial trees
with LED lights and already decorated for a reasonable price. Think about it.
Be creative. I promise you it will brighten your day too.
I hope I’ve lightened your load a
little making these days in between a little less stressful. Happy shopping.
Deep breath…deep breath.
Thanks for listening.
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