Day 4 - 359 -- Holiday Celebrations

This Christmas Day ended on a high note. The day began with a quasi-traditional breakfast -- purchased cinnamon ring rather than a homemade pull-apart ring. To be honest the homemade one is way too big for one person and a local bakery makes a small ring with 6 small rolls, which works much better. In the afternoon, I prepared a vegetable dish to take to dinner along with a cheese plate. A conversation with an uncle made me smile again -- so good to hear familiar voices on major holidays. Two inches of ice pellets fell in the early morning, so I moved those out of the way before the temperature warmed and the bits of rain began. It is to freeze overnight and be very cold for several days, so moving what could be moved will minimize the ice that forms later.

I walked up the hill to my friends' place for dinner before the sun set fully. Most of the sidewalks were covered in slushy stuff and water. Plows were out pushing water mixed with slush down the roads. They made an unholy loud noise as they passed. The evening involved amazing food, good wine and great conversations. There was much laughter and at times the seven of us were so loud we had to shout to be heard in our individual conversations. <smile> My walk back down the hill involved more care than the earlier uphill walk. Parts of the water had begun to freeze. The winds nearly blew me off my feet once, so when I heard a gust approaching, I anchored my feet in some semi-frozen slush and bent forward to keep myself from losing balance. There were two larger branches down across the sidewalk along the 20 minute walk that took great care to step over.

Once home I listened to the Queen's Christmas message where she noted that 60 years ago her message was the first to be televised where she spoke of the need to use changing technologies to communicate. Today, she noted that many people will watch the message on electronic devices -- yet another technological advance. She highlighted the concept of home as a place of peace, by saying, "We think of our homes as places of warmth, familiarity and love . . . there is a timeless simplicity to the pull of home."  Today, I found myself in a negative space feeling alone, yet it ended with a clear message to me that I am far from alone <smile>. Perhaps it wasn't really feeling alone, so much as realizing that many people who were part of holiday celebrations are not here to celebrate now. Holidays can enhance the hole left behind. But, looking up and around, we can find many newer celebrants if we just allow ourselves to look.

The song for today sounds slow and mournful, yet I think I can see it through a different lens. Even if we can't get to that place we think of as home -- whether it be past or present -- it will remain a part of us as a memory to treasure not one to get us bogged down. This version is sung by a Canadian often featured in this blog. Enjoy!

I'll be Home for Christmas -- Michael Buble