Racing to the Holidays...

Beaver contemplating the Beaver Moon

Rosemary blossoms

        ...Looking as though someone had shaken a giant snow globe, the Magic City was experiencing its first squall of the winter season.  At least it wasn't brutally cold.  This is the kind of snow that makes it fun to take a walk.  It has been ever so amusing to watch my newest kitty, Midnight, getting so excited about those white things flying around outside.  Her inky little nose has been pressed against my windows all morning.  Occasionally she tries to touch the active flakes through the glass.  This is her first experience with snow and she is utterly fascinated by the white wonders.  My other two fur babies couldn't care less about the snow event and are participating in their morning snooze event instead.    
        Strains of holiday music filled the day as we are hardly half way through November.  My favorite radio station decided to begin the musical celebration early this year.  How annoying!  The stores have already begun their tortuous melodies, too.  It has become a crazy world.  Patches of snow dot the landscape as autumn leaves fall crazily to the ground one by one.  Thanksgiving is still two weeks away at this point.  I will admit that my mother and I used to get "the urge" around August to start thinking about and planning for our holiday gifts.  We would search through all the magazines and prowl the stores for that magical spark that would jump start our creativity toward holiday thoughts.  By Christmas we were completely ready for the gift giving on December 25th.  That sounds as though we were the consummate crafters of perfection.  The kink in those grand crafting plans was that once my mother made her special creations she managed to hide them so well that she usually couldn't find them. Often she would finally locate her hand-crafted items about a week after the New Year.  So much for the August Christmas crafting urge!  My mother always hated wrapping gifts, so that became my job each year.  A lot of my gifts never got wrapped.  As the gift wrapping ritual commenced, my father would oversee what I was doing.  Occasionally he would comment, "Now, is that what she wanted?"  As I usually did my father's holiday shopping, I would assure him that what my mother wanted had been correctly purchased.  He would nod with satisfaction as I wrapped the precious presents for him.  The take-away here is that one should never start holiday gifting too soon.  Even so, it is hard to resist the early urge.  August tugged at me to start searching for Christmas ideas.  I kept telling myself it was way too soon for such thoughts.   Only a week ago I finalized the decision of crafts in mind for this year's gifts.  If I budget my money and make each thing one by one I should be ready by...New Year's day.  My mother's legacy is ever with me. I usually skip the gift lost part.  And even though we weren't Orthodox Christians, that time of gift giving usually worked out better for both of us.  Friends and family have gotten used to connecting with me after the New Year' celebration.  I have trained them well.  No one bothers me on Christmas day as they know that is when I like to busy myself with creating my homemade items.  With each creation I fondly think about the person for whom I am crafting.  Sometimes I manage to do that process at Thanksgiving time.  Even better!  But then, it is the season to remember the good things and the good people who have richly blessed our lives.  Thank you, God.  You knew who I needed in my life.  
         So, I guess it is okay to start the Christmas music a bit early.  I will drink a cup of tea and begin my crafting with joy as I think of everyone who will receive those special items.  Crafted with love for you...