So, fall 2014 is fully upon us and already signs of the holidays are beginning to sprout. I was in Wal Mart early today and there are already Christmas trees on display. Not just kind of off to the side but in blazing glory at the entrance of the store.
I think it a bit soon for that.
Please, let’s not push aside Halloween and Thanksgiving so cavalierly. They are important parts of the holiday season. I’ve always felt like the three, together, are vital parts of a continuous celebration climaxing with the celebration of Christmas with the annual circle of life events then being brought fully closed by the epilogue/prelude events of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
Several years ago when Ashley moved to Staten Island I was really taken by the festive decorations and displays of Halloween. It appeared to me that every house had something that grab my eye and stretch my imagination. It was wondrous. Several years ago when Vicki and I were on a trip to San Francisco I started seeing Halloween as an adult rather than a kids celebration. Don’s get me wrong, Halloween is still and perhaps always will be a time when little bands of kids shuffle down suburban streets in search of candy treats. I think that’s great and I know they love it. That said, I was totally taken on that visit by the throngs of adults in costume parading up and down Market Street donned in their new identities the alter egos of their favorite horror character or super hero. There was so much laughter and music and genuine good cheer. It was so wonderfully amazing to see adults completely at play. What a slap in the face reminder it was for me that we (adults and kids alike) need these times that give permission to drop our guards, safe times for letting go. Halloween begins the season by offering a time of letting go. All the scary things come out of hiding and march away into the fading autumn light and clears the way for us to turn out thoughts to appreciating, giving and sharing; clears the way for us to transition into a time of giving thanks.
On it’s heels November is filled with our preparations of the feast of Thanksgiving. Having put the old year’s horrors aside we catch out breaths and gather the positives of the past year. We count the bounty and turn to thoughts of appreciating all those that have help us make it through. What better way to show our appreciation than sitting down to a meal with those folks, friends and family. When done right we all make share our favorite dish or drink and everyone samples a little of everything. The result being that for at least one time in passing year we have more than enough. We are rich with fullness. We want nothing more, just a place to sit back and rest or work it off dancing to the sights and sounds of a parade.