‘Deck the halls with boughs of holly…’
Christmas time is here. Write it Xmas and there are people who will insist you are taking Christ out of Christmas. Other people will be so politically correct that nothing short of happy holidays will suffice. Like saying Christmas will offend the non-Christians. This always strikes me as nonsense and noise to distract people from something else. Take offense or don’t. Happy whatever it is you celebrate be it Christmas, Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa or Three Kings Day.
It is the holiday spirit that matters not what it is called. As the year draws to a close be kind to your fellow humans. Give to those in need but don’t do it for them, do it for you. Don’t expect gratitude because you are apt to be disappointed.
Christmas is for children or at least that is the conventional wisdom. On Christmas, I have a small amount of regret that I don’t have kids. It lasts for about half an hour and then it is gone until next year.
Earlier this week I watched a two-hour television program called the Great Christmas Light Fight. Families that decorate their homes for the holidays competed for a $50,000 prize, a trophy and most importantly bragging rights. It was hosted and judged by two young attractive celebrities I had never heard of: Taniya Nayak and Carter Oosterhouse. The contestants using gratuitous amounts of electrical powered lights, sculpted windmills, teddy bears, penguins, reindeers and of course Santa Claus in their yards. Acres of inflatable characters running the gamut from animals to zoo creatures decorated their yards and inside their homes.
My cousins Rick Dorris, Laurie Brooks and their son, Rick S. Dorris, made me a bright red wreath. I hung it on my front door and now consider my house ready for the holidays. I do love to see the efforts of others to welcome the holiday season.
If you haven’t seen it the Sinclair Dinosaur in Madera Ranchos on Avenue 12 is all lit up for holidays. I’m not sure what exactly he is celebrating but he looks really cool.
On Christmas Eve, Fred and I will be driving around enjoying the efforts of others to decorate for the holidays. In past years, we have visited Christmas Tree Lane in Fresno and Candy Cane Lane in Clovis. We went to Christmas Tree Lane before our very first Christmas in 1975. Canned music of a children’s choir played from speakers throughout the drive. This became one of our first Christmas memories as a couple.
The children sang “Hark the herald angels sing, hum, hum, hum, hum, newborn king.”
Having sung with many glee clubs and choirs in my youth and through high school, I understand exactly how this type of faux pas happens in a children’s choir. It became a code between us for people who were talking yet had no idea about what.
The rain this week has had an amazing effect on the air. Instead of lingering smoke and air pollution, the skies are once again that bright clean shade of blue we love.
This weekend is the Sunrise Rotary Trees for Charity and the Madera County Historical Society Christmas Gala. These two events are a brilliant showcase of talented people and holiday decorations.
Long days and pleasant nights, have a good weekend.
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Readers, may contact Tami Jo Nix by emailing tamijonix@gmail.com or following @TamiJoNix on Twitter.
