Today is Friday the 13th. Also, it is twelve days before Christmas. Do you know what this means, ladies and gentlemen?
The Muppets' 12 Days of Christmas. On repeat. All day, every day.
I feel like the title of this post is a bit of an understatement, because it began to look a lot like Christmas the day after Halloween. Props to all the people (and/or elves) who helped swap all the orange and black candy at Walgreens for red and green on the night between October 31st and November 1st. After a night of trick-or-treating we all awoke to Christmas, Christmas, everywhere!
Not that I'm complaining. I believe this truly is the most wonderful time of year. I may roll my eyes at cheesy holiday commercials on TV, and make fun of all the predictable Hallmark movies playing 24/7, but I dearly love all the colors and traditions leading up to the 25th. I love Christmas tree-shopping with Dad on the weekend after Thanksgiving. We go to this tree farm in Hamden, where my dad grew up, and he always reminds us of how different everything used to be as we pass his old high school, driving through streets that were merely woods and apple orchards when he was a kid. You can see the chin of Sleeping Giant -a little mountain? Excuse my incorrect geographical terminology, I was homeschooled- where Dad used to take us when Mom needed an afternoon of quiet away from us. We would hike all the way to the old stone castle at the top and drop things off of the parapets (I also know nothing about castles. Everything I learned about Medieval history two years ago went in one ear and out the other. I think I can get away with that since I remember everything else important). Under the shadow of Sleeping Giant we pick out and cut down our tree- actually, Dad cuts it down. I don't blame him for not trusting us with sharp objects. Then we go home and, after much grunting and profane language and pine needles dropped on the floor, Dad and the boys get the tree set up in front of the french doors in the living room. Usually we watch A Charlie Brown Christmas and decorate the tree and eat dinner in front of the warmth of the fireplace.
On another, rather ironic subject, did you know that this time of year is the most common time for people to get depressed? I thought that was a load of crap until last Christmas, when I brought in the New Year reading sad books and forgetting to eat and crying at the drop of a hat. I wallowed in self-pity and slept little. I guess I understand how possible it is to be surrounded by friends and family and holiday cheer and still feel loneliness aching and eating up your insides. But not this year. I can't tell if I've become more or less silly than I was twelve months ago- maybe I've grown up, or maybe I'm apathetic. I think it's Senioritis. This semester has turned me into a very laid-back and slightly snobby version of myself. I don't really care though. I laugh now more than ever, and isn't that all that matters?
I felt very motivated to write today. I've had bursts of inspiration to do so lately -usually at 10:30 at night- but after reading some things written by a dear friend of mine, I felt compelled to sit down and write something happy and warm-hearted, which hopefully I have accomplished. Whenever I read about sad things, especially things I can relate to unnaturally well, I become inspired to write something cheerful. So, if this post wasn't cheerful enough for you, I give you...pictures and GIFs of all things pertaining to Christmas:
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| because this is the best part of White Christmas and you know it ;) |
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| Elf. Enough said. |
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if this doesn't make you squeal then I don't know if you're human.
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| New York at Christmastime makes my heart ache with wanderlust. |
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| finally, here is my very own Christmas tree with the very old, very Italian Nativity scene, collected and built courtesy of my Popou (Mom's dad). |
I don't think there's anything left here for me to say, except Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight (or good 12:13 in the afternoon).
--Laura :)
