'Tis the Season for COLD

I don't know how I survived Logan for so many years. I'm not a big supporter of winter, and it lasts for half the year up there. Sure the snow is pretty when it falls and is freshly on the ground. Sometimes it can even be fun (sledding, throwing snowballs, snowshoeing trips that you fear will end in your death . . . guess that's a story for a different time). However, most often winter is cold, difficult to travel in, cold, too dark, cold, too bright, cold, wet, and cold.

As far as I'm concerned, the whole reason why some of the best holidays of the year are celebrated in winter is because it's such a miserable season. (Summer is my favorite, fall would beat spring hands down for second place except for the fact that fall leads into winter.)

Sure, the 4th of July is great. (I mean what's not to love about a day where you get to play with fire and eat lots o' BBQ meat?) No matter how great the other holidays might be nothing ever compares to Christmas and the "gateway holiday", Thanksgiving. Why? It's a holiday that lasts for over a month! It's such a big event that it's become a season unto itself. In this special season all the great treats that were hidden away from the warm summer sun begin to appear. That's when the candy corn creeps onto the racks, the egg nog cartons edge out the healthier dairy products (is egg nog considered a dairy product?), pumpkin pies proliferate in the bakery.

Most importantly though, the whole reason why the Christmas season is so great is the theme spread out by everyone (even marketing, though in a different vein). Everyone is encouraged to give -- be selfless.

There are many more things to be given however than something you found at the store. Sometimes the most special gift we have goes ungiven, our time. How much of our time this season is spent running around trying to find that perfect gift? Time used up trying to place that decoration in the perfect spot (or, for those of us that are still getting our Christmas collection together, buying decorations)?

We spend a lot of time trying to make Christmas so perfect that we tend to not have enough for where it really counts, helping others. This might mean shoveling a driveway, singing some carols, or even just sitting down and having a cookie with a neighbor. (I'll eat a warm baked treat with anyone that's willing to share.)

OK, so it is not too often that my posts end up anywhere near the serious side of things (it's kinda like a cliff face lined with loose rocks). I guess it's just the effects of the month long celebration taking effect early, maybe this season will be able to seep into the way I spend my time.