Deck The Halls Tutorial

This Friday marks an important moment in time:  One Month Until Christmas.

According to Facebook, some show-offs have already finished their Christmas shopping.  Others are calmly waiting until December 24^th to get started.  Most of us are probably somewhere in between, and our frantic list-making has begun.

But why stress about holiday prep when there’s a Christmas carol that tells us all we need to do?

Deck the halls with boughs of holly.  When the urge strikes, get out those decorations!  Enjoy the wreaths and candles and glittering lights sparkling against the tinsel on the tree.

‘Tis the season to be jolly.  Smile and spread the joy!  If your To Do lists are making you cranky, simplify them.

Don we now our gay apparel.  Wear it!  Now is the only time of year when we can get away with wearing those gaudy sweaters, Santa Claus ties, and earrings that look like tree baubles.

Troll the ancient Yuletide carol.  Sing!  Whether with a group of carolers, during a church service, or online with Bing Crosby and Elvis Presley, singing will fill our hearts with Christmas cheer.

The Fa-la-la-la-las I haven’t quite figured out.  I think they might be a reminder of holiday party behaviour for those who overindulge.  Beware!

So, now we’re decorated, dressed, smiling, and singing.  What more do we need?  Maybe some figgy pudding (other songs have good ideas too) and – oh yes – the most important advice of all:  taking time to tell of Yuletide treasure.  This means different things to different people.  For my family, it’s celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.

Joy to the world - Christmas is on its way!

Another Man's Treasure

I’m always a little sad when garage sale season ends.  Those signs on neon paper staked at main intersections are evidence that the weather is still warm enough to enjoy being outside.  When the signs and garage doors come down, the hibernation begins.

Fortunately, there are other places to find good deals throughout the year.  Thrift and consignment stores, pawn shops, and online sales like Kijiji keep bargain shoppers (like me) happy year round.

I have saved hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars shopping at these types of stores.  One year I made a list of the things I had purchased second hand.  Then, with the help of friends, I estimated what those items would have cost new.  I found that I had spent less than one-tenth of the retail price.

Why don’t more people shop second hand?  Don’t they like 90% off sales?

Besides saving huge amounts of money, there are other reasons I enjoy shopping second hand:  I feel better about my kids staining a $3 outfit or breaking a $2 toy rather than a $40 one.  If an item looks good after being used previously, chances are it will continue to hold up under wash and wear – unlike some new items.  When I feel like shopping but don’t have the time to invest walking through large malls, a thrift store offers a one-stop shopping experience.  And, I like helping the environment and charities.

Why am I telling you these things?  No, don’t shop second hand.  Go ahead and buy new.  Spend the big bucks.  You’re worth it.

But feel free to donate it later for me to enjoy at 90% off.

Free To Choose Freedom

It’s getting colder but I don’t want to wear a hat; if I catch pneumonia I’ll just blame the government.  Or maybe I’ll call the town office and yell at someone.  I can do those things because I’m free.

Some would say that freedom is “doing whatever we want”.

Imagine if we had no traffic laws and everyone drove however they wanted.  Before long we would be confused, delayed, frustrated, or dead.  That doesn’t sound like freedom to me.

Some laws, regulations, guidelines, or commandments may initially appear to hamper our freedom but they actually safeguard our ability to make future choices.

This week we will remember those who defended the freedom we enjoy in this great land.  Those people fought on the ground, in the air, and on the seas.  Many died, and many returned home with memories they wished they could forget.  But they were successful in their quest; those who threatened our democracy were crushed and our freedom was preserved.

Why did they hunker in miserable foxholes, or shiver in frozen cockpits?  So I could watch horror movies, ogle pornography, drink myself into oblivion, or waste hours surfing the Net?

Yes.

But that’s probably not the best use of my freedom.  Neither is yelling at town workers or refusing to wear a hat.

Those we remember each November fought to keep us free.  How we use that freedom is now our responsibility.  Will we make choices that keep us – and those around us – as free, and safe, and happy as possible?

Observing a minute of silence this Friday will be easy.  Truly honouring our veterans and fallen heroes by making choices to better ourselves, uplift others, and strengthen our communities is the challenge.

Blood: A Love-Hate Relationship

There’s something I find even scarier than Halloween.  Blood.

Red, thick, oozing, warm – there’s something about it that makes me feel weak.  And queasy.  And then my brain goes fuzzy…and…

Okay, I’m back.  I am grateful for my blood.  It keeps me warm and pink and – alive – which is a good thing.  Usually our blood is kept nicely hidden, concealed in veins, arteries, and capillaries where I don’t need to think about it.  It’s when it comes out of those places that I have a problem.

Maybe it’s not the blood I dislike but those sharp things used to take it from me.

Why do I hate needles so much?  Blood tests don’t really hurt.  It must be the sensation of the tourniquet, the fist squeezing, the vein locating, the disinfecting…

Oh no.  Deep breaths.  Head down.  Head between the knees.  I can’t bend that far!

I’ve tried thinking positive thoughts.  Once I made it halfway through the test, sitting in a plastic lab chair with my arm outstretched.  Then everything went gray.  Suddenly the black, skid-proof mat on the floor looked awfully comfortable.

Now I don’t even try to be brave.  I walk straight into the clinic and announce, “I need to lie down.”  As soon as the technician comes into the room with her tray of evil equipment, I look the other way and start singing Amazing Grace.

My brilliant brother-in-law, the PhD, has the same problem I do.  He was told that it was due to a medical condition affecting individuals of higher intelligence.  Yup, that must be it.

If you don’t have a problem with blood and needles, I hope you know how lucky you are.  Please donate regularly.  To those who share my aversion to blood, may I suggest learning the words to Amazing Grace?