Christmas Tree Lights

Yesterday I finally started to take down my tree. I'd planned to start on January 5 and be done by the twelfth night, but a post Christmas illness being spread around my family laid me low for two weeks, and being chronically ill, I've been recovering since. At any rate, in attempting to disentangle some ornament hooks so they can fit back in their box, and weighing the environmental cost of trashing the jumble versus the cost to my sanity, as I calmly sat disentangling hooks I was reminded of an article I read before Christmas.

In writing about relationships, the writer mentioned that you can tell a lot about a person by how she responds to putting up Christmas tree lights. And I was reminded of how wise we are in our ignorance.

Save The Day, Savor Your Family

Thanksgiving 2012.

When I was growing up, I imagine my family celebrated Thanksgiving like most families throughout the U.S.

The Big Day started with Mom getting up early and getting the turkey on. And as soon as we could get breakfast in us, my brother and I would settle ourselves down in front of our black and white in-a-maple-wood-console television set (and later than most families a stand-alone color TV), where we'd watch Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, with mom popping in between preparing courses to marvel at the spectacle. It wouldn't be long before I'd be put in charge of at least half of the prep work because, really, and I know this is sacrilege, I didn't care for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Election Day 2012

I once worked in Welfare, and I think I have a clue why people can be swayed by anti-welfare references and engage in identity politics (that is, vote for the party that disparages welfare and the people on welfare) even if they've been on welfare at one time or another themselves.

Happy New Year (May the Road Rise Up to Meet You)

It's New Year's Eve and when I got up this morning, I decided to start the new year off right by collecting my trash can from the curb. (It had been there for four nights because every time I remembered it, I was too exhausted to make the trek down the driveway.) It's unseasonably warm at the moment--actually it was quite balmy as I made my way down the drive with my hair a fright and in my green fuzzy robe, looking very much like Maxine sans the bunny slippers. From the evidence at hand, it was apparent that it rained in the night. I know this because the asphalt was two-toned, and my municipality-approved garbage can had about an inch of rainwater in it. Thank goodness for the unseasonable warmth otherwise I might have awoke to a foot of snow.