Tis the Season...

Drawn in by the holiday spirit.  There is nothing to do about it.  Started the beginning of October, dare I say, September!  Stranger to these feelings.  Christmas and all the preparations were for the children, not me.  Parties were given and attended as a social requirement, not joyous events.  Buying the tree and  poinsettias at the neighborhood florist was expected.  Having them ceremoniously marched in was as important to the neighbors as it was to my sons.  It was tradition built on expectations and standards that needed to be lived up to.

Christmas in Greece during the early 90's was none-existent.  For the Greeks, St Nikolaos comes on January 7th.  There were no lights, no trees, no westernized commercialism.  No spirit.  There were only two government television stations at the time.  Neither of which showed "Frosty the Snowman".  My eldest son was only a year old when we celebrated our first Christmas in Athens.  What did he know from Burl Ives and "Holy Jolly Christmas"?  Nothing.  I knew it all.  I needed it and wanted it all.  My family and friends were missing along with all the other things that made Christmas so special.

It took about ten years before the westernized version of Christmas made it to the streets, stores, and television stations in Greece.  The boys were still young enough to appreciate the lights and decorations.  Parties were given and attended.  Gifts were exchanged.  School plays were all the rage and delight. Yes, Greece was in full swing, and Christmas was as it had been.  With one exception, my magical feelings of the season had been washed away by the necessity to change.

This year I have been looking forward to the holiday celebrations and all that go with them.  It's not even Thanksgiving and I am in the holiday spirit.  There is something brewing in my life.  Something different, wonderful, exciting.  I have no idea what it could be.  I have no idea why I even sense such a thing.  I just do.  And, I love it.  It's new, and fun, and smells of promise.

What could be a better gift then the promise of a happier tomorrow?