Opinion: Santa’s coming

Thanxgiving has passed, so I have permitted myself to start celebrating Xmas. One of the first things I learned way back in 1995 when I first joined the staff of The Madera Tribune was spelling the holiday Xmas was strictly forbidden. Always Christmas, never, Xmas.

Regular readers of this column know of my affinity for the letter X and why. Not everyone is blessed to have the letter “X,” in their name. I am aware of the opinion that X takes Christ out of Christmas. While it might remove his title, think of it as reinforcing the cross he died on to save our souls.

I’m of the school of thought that opines “Don’t sweat the small stuff!” And really it is all small stuff. Let it go.

There are so many other things to concentrate on this time of year, a shorthand version of the holiday’s name falls way down on the list.

Wednesday is December 7. According to former U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, it is a date that will live in infamy.

I don’t argue it was a horrific day in America. My late father-in-law, Gordon Nix, USMC, carried resentment about Pearl Habor for the rest of his life.

Similar to how many of my generation carry a grudge for September 11.

Personally, I will be so glad to get past December 7 so the Medi-Care enrollment deadline will pass, and with it all the annoying television advertising.

Especially the commercials featuring “Martha!” There are at least two. In one, Martha is an annoying woman. On the other, she is an irksome muppett.

I sincerely hope that by December 8 we will have seen the last of her. Sadly, the fact that I am writing about her almost guarantees she’ll be back! Advertising agencies tend to cling to their icons that the public remembers, like Flo from the insurance ads. How annoying is she…

If I am at home, the TV is usually on. As you can imagine, the house is far too quiet without it.

I find myself unable to watch the funnies, anymore, Fred’s tag for sit-coms. For the most part, watching them is just too painful.

I watch many crime dramas, with serial killers being particularly fascinating. He hated those.

These days, I am watching a bunch of holiday baking contests.

I have never had much respect for cooking shows. It’s a bit like watching paint dry. However, the bakers featured are very talented and a lot more interesting than I ever thought they could be.

When I was a young bride, I baked a lot of cookies for the holidays. Fred’s favorites were sugar cookies with icing. As a result, I have cookie cutters in almost every shape you can imagine.

It has been years since I’ve baked cookies. But, unfortunately, the joy has gone out of the whole ritual.

I have girlfriends I call on when I am in the mood for home-baked cookies. They make brilliant cookies. The Halloween cookies Alice Williams baked for me were gorgeous, like everything she bakes. My girlfriend Stefanie Eddings recently made me a batch of chocolate-chip cookies that were super yummy.

Long days, and blessed nights. Have a good weekend.

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Readers may get in touch with Tami Jo Nix by emailing tamijonix@gmail.com or following @TamiJoNix on Twitter.