Ah, the holidays.

I confess I have a love-hate relationship with the holidays. I love the music, and the decorations, and the food, and the socializing, but being the introvert that I am, all that socializing WEARS ME OUT, and then I have little motivation (or time) to do my own holiday decorating/crafting/cooking/whatever. And as much as I try to plan ahead, every year about this time it's WHENDIDITGETTOBEDECEMBERWHAAARRGAAARBL, which is where I am right now. The house is a mess (normal) and we haven't even brought the decorations or wrapping paper up from the basement. Maybe next week.

Christmas cards? I'm working on it. Last year we didn't send any because we were preoccupied with our new puppy, who was at the doggie hospital with parvo. (Yay, us.) Luna survived and is now a little cuddle-monkey who wants to jump up on the sofa with me anytime I sit down to start working on things like Christmas cards. I usually make my own because I can't stand the sappy greetings on commercially made cards: "May the childhood joys of the Christmas season be yours now and always." Who talks like that?

And then there's all the fuss about what to call it. Some people insist on "Christmas," others insist on "holidays," and people like me don't really care. To me it's always Christmas, but I don't get bent out of shape over "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings." I call it what I call it, and you call it what you call it, and it's all good as far as I'm concerned. If you want to wish me a Happy Hanukkah, I'm good with that too. How hard is it to accept someone's good will in the spirit in which it's given?

People always complain about the overcommercialization of Christmas, but nobody really does much about it. We all still shop, and I'm as guilty as anyone. I do give a lot of homemade gifts, but not everyone is into that (which I think is WRONG, but that's a whole nother story). I'm at the point where I don't really want anything for myself. I already have too much stuff that I'm trying to get rid of. And if any of you think the bastardization of Christmas is a new thing, let me direct you to the words of this carol from the 1600s. Yes, I said 1600s: Christmas Is My Name .

Christmas is a lot of different things to a lot of different people, and I think that's okay. Regardless of whether  or not you celebrate it as a religious holiday, it can still be a time of reflection and fellowship, goodwill and charity. And really, shouldn't we celebrate those things all year? There's always room for peace, love, and understanding.

Till next time --- don't let the holidays drive you crazy. Namaste.