Holiday ALL-THE-THINGS!

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I'm sitting here staring at an empty yogurt container, hair uncombed, and crumbs on the counter. My belly is full of coffee and I'm contemplating a second pot. Laundry is spinning and I have a long series of docs that I need to be working on but don't have all the info as of yet. It can wait another day. Right now I'm contemplating Christmas lights and how I might have them up the first of December. From my Facebook feed it seems I am a month behind.

Christmas-all-the-things is upon us.

Joy to the world and all that jazz. I love Christmas. Yet, I find myself unwaveringly indifferent this year to the early Christmas hoopla. I feel almost Grinch-ish in nature and am struggling to identify why. My nativity and all its intricate figures await my steady hand to arrange it with care, and my collection of Santas and snowmen eagerly await their
appearance. I think fondly on past Christmases when lights didn't go up until the middle of December. I can hear you gasping, yet I was ready, so ready, to make things festive and bright while wrapping each light around the evergreens out front. Now we're expected to have things out and brightly shining one day after Halloween. Or we're behind.

I hold social media at fault. And myself.
I am an over-sharer. I acknowledge this and accept it. 

I embrace social media and all its things. I do believe, though, that it enables us to share things that we never used to see. Now we see just how on top of things our friend in town is, what with her hand-painted and hand-sewn Christmas crafts. We see just how early others put things up, while in the past, we never would have seen that and would prepare at our own pace. Viewing others and what they do can create a sense of anxiety in ourselves to keep up, to run side-by-side, to compete.

Maybe it's that sense of competition that I don't want. The consumerism of today has played a huge role in making us feel that we're behind, to get out and SHOP, get that sale price or you're missing out. Make this Pinterest-inspired Christmas Advent calendar made out of shells, glitter, and wood or you're not worthy. It's a heart attack waiting to happen. But you see, I love Pinterest. I believe it to be a fabulous tool to pin our favorite little things, sayings, and so forth. When we allow it to take over our lives and become, shall we say #Pinterested, we're far gone. The same goes with Facebook. I'm 100% guilty. I want to find a way to use it in moderation instead of it being stuck to the end of my fingertips in the form of my phone. It's ever present. It's all-consuming. We're a notification-driven people. 



Until we figure out moderation we will all be products of an anxiety-ridden society. We want the #best and we want to be #winning. We want to be #performing for a #socialmedia crowd and love #attention - we all want to be #affirmed in our daily lives. This drives us to share. #GUILTY as charged. I'm searching myself while gaining control of my #oversharing fingers.



The snow is blowing around in a fine mist outside and I try to tamp down the itchy-finger feeling of taking a picture of it. I can see the angle in my mind, yet I know not every moment can be a photo op. I must teach myself to understand this or I will lose joy-filled moments in my life. I know in myself that I can put up my decorations any time I want to. No person and their carefully strung lights should ever make me feel as if I'm behind. My pace is just that, my pace. I've only  just started my Christmas list and haven't bought one present yet. It might be weeks before I start and that's okay. Thanksgiving is one week and two days away and I'm enjoying my vintage wax turkeys every second until the last bite is swallowed.

Don't give in to the 'countdown' to Black Friday. 
What I need is a countdown to Thanksgiving.D
Then you can start the Christmas countdown. Only then. 


Countdown Turkey!















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