"It's snowing!" my granddaughter, Allison, reported when she came in from shopping awhile ago. The first flakes of the season! I wonder what it will be like in the morning! It's supposed to be a low 16 degrees tonight. Christmas is bursting out all over, here at the house and around town. The tree in the living room has had fluffy garlands of popcorn added to the homemade ornaments today. It is a work in progress, having been freshly cut from a tree farm two days ago.
Family members sit at the dining room table wrapping packages of mysterious shapes and sizes, and we are in the midst of showings on TV of 25 Christmas-themed movies from now until Christmas. Tonight I caught a bit of "Polar Express," but I found it too bizarre for my tastes. Even though our holiday is called Christmas, there are very few references to the true meaning of Christmas as relates to the Babe in the manger. Thankfully, I did see one message from a local car dealer that stressed the Biblical story of Jesus' birth.
We even went shopping ourselves, today. The cold snap prompted a sudden desire for more sweaters and a few other winter things. Yesterday after church, we stopped at a gift and bake sale at the historic home at Cann Gardens. There were many cars parked outside, but it turned out they mostly belonged to members of the Garden Club who were grouped in little clusters of conversation in the living and dining room of the house.
The gray-haired, perfectly coifed ladies in their festive Christmas sweaters watched with interest as we eyed their small plates of goodies offered for sale--tiny cookies, miniscule loaves of bread, and coffee-cakes cubed into bite-size pieces under saran wrap. There were also small jars of pepper jelly and fruit jams for a considerable price. We got a tiny lemon/poppy seed cake which turned out to be delicious, the intense flavor bursting like a surprise on our tastebuds. It was worth every bit of the $3 it cost.
With Christmas less than three weeks away, things are bound to get busier around here. But there is a peacefulness, too, for I feel no pressure to do anything but enjoy the season and reflect on the deeper meaning of Christmas. May all the trimmings and trappings of shopping, decorating, baking and feasting not hide what the celebration is all about. God's Son, Jesus, being born as a Baby to become the greatest Gift of all.
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