TheBanyanTree: Home for the Holidays

[Margaret R. Kramer]

The big solstice moon was just rising over the eastern horizon when our
plane took off from Raleigh, NC last night.  It was large and round and its
orangish-reddish color was filtered by thin, wispy clouds floating in the
sky.  As it rose and got rounder and whiter, it followed us back to
Minnesota.

We dodged a bullet with that huge ice storm that hit the South this past
week.  The only thing icy for us was that our car’s windows had some ice on
them, and the ice was easy to scrape off.  Then it rained and rained and
rained, but the rain never froze.  It was chilly, but it seemed the
temperatures actually rose as the day went on, and by night, we were able to
go without jackets (because as Minnesotans we’re used to temperatures much
colder).

It seemed to me that Raleigh was like Minnesota in early November.  The
trees still carry some color and some leaves.  The ground isn’t frozen.  The
air is more humid than it is here.  And I was surprised at how subdued the
Christmas decorations were.  It didn’t seem like Christmas was coming at
all.  Very few houses had lights.  The store decorations weren’t that much.
It felt more like Halloween than Christmas.  It got me wondering if
Christmas is more of a northern thing, because our nights are very long and
we do get very cold, and perhaps we need a major festival to cheer us up.

Christmas explodes in Minnesota.  Even our large Hmong and Somali
populations, which traditionally don’t celebrate this holiday, get caught up
in it.  I think that’s the most wonderful thing about Christmas, it’s a
holiday which can easily be molded into whatever the person wants it to be.
Because the best thing about Christmas, it brings out the warmth and
generosity in people.  The smiles are bigger, the acts are more charitable,
and it seems we take a few more minutes to reach out to each other.

The lights are everywhere here in the frozen north, that’s why I was
surprised it was so sparse in Raleigh.  It gets cold here quickly, the
ground freezes, and lights are tough to display, and with the warmer weather
in the South, I thought people could go crazy hanging up lights.

It snowed a lot while I was gone and coming home was like entering a
Christmas card.  The snow accents the branches on the pine trees.  Everyone
has paths shoveled to their homes.  Smoke is coming out of the chimneys.
Hot drinks taste pretty darn good right now.  Our house is toasty and cozy
with all its holiday decorations.

Our work week went well, in spite of my apprehension.  We all got along and
we got our work done.  It’s nice to come home and not be angry.  Maybe that’
s Christmas’ influence as well – in spite of our personal conflicts, we all
got along.  That’s the best present.

Now it’s catch up time.  Bills need to be paid, groceries for our Christmas
feast need to be bought, gifts need to be wrapped, and cookies need to be
baked.  Yes, it’s great to be home . . .
Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at comcast.net

http://www.bpwmn.org
Business and Professional Women of Minnesota

Next to a circus there ain't nothing that packs up and tears out faster than
the Christmas spirit.
~Kin Hubbard