TheBanyanTree: Clearing the Christmas Clutter

[Margaret R. Kramer]

There are still a few cookies around.  There’s a half eaten box of
chocolates on the counter.  But the eggnog is gone and I didn’t buy more
when we went grocery shopping last night.  I’ve already had enough of that
fattening stuff, but it’s oh so good!

I won’t take down the decorations until New Year’s Day.  But I’m already
clearing out the Christmas clutter in my head.  There are no more social
obligations to do.  No more trips downtown Minneapolis to see Santa, the
Holidazzle, or Jingle Bell Doc.  No more running to the store to buy
presents.  I don’t have to address and send out Christmas cards.  What am I
going to do with all my free time?

For the first time in my life, I didn’t spend Christmas “at home.”  We’ve
talked forever about spending Christmas at the North Shore (on Lake
Superior).  We decided when my youngest grandson was five years old, that’s
what we were going to do.  And we did!

We stayed at Bluefin Bay on the shores of Lake Superior
(http://www.bluefinbay.com).  We “rented” a two bedroom townhome, which has
all the amenities; kitchen, two bathrooms, fireplace, Jacuzzi, etc.  We also
rented a seven passenger van so we could drive up together.  Our plans were
to go skiing, cross country skiing, and ice skating.

Good plans, but we didn’t count on the tropical weather that’s been in place
over Minnesota.  There was no snow, no ice, and no cold weather around the
lake.  Instead, the boys spent a lot of time at the swimming pool.  We went
for walks and threw rocks into the lake.  It was more like late fall up
there than winter.  But we had a lot of fun anyway.

It was nice to shake up our Christmas traditions a bit.  The best gift for
me was to see the boys’ reactions when they woke up on Christmas morning and
saw their gifts from Santa.  I don’t get to see that when we’re at home, so
I was very happy.  That was the best gift for me.

Now it’s back to reality.  Ray made shelves for his office closet, since I
jam all my excess stuff in there.  He also made shelves for our pots and
pans cupboard, so now we can actually find our pots and pans without
rattling the whole house.  He also organized our junk drawers in the
kitchen, so they’re not so junky.  The new year is almost here and Ray is
clearing out the physical clutter.

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at comcast.net

Isn't it funny that at Christmas something in you gets so lonely for - I
don't know what exactly, but it's something that you don't mind so much not
having at other times.
~Kate L. Bosher