But It's Not Even Halloween Yet...
October 29, 2008
A Christmas book came today.
I am so not ready for Christmas.
I am so not ready for Halloween.
I haven't bought candy yet. I haven't even decided whether to buy candy I like -- or the kind I don't like.
The loose-leaf book is called SIMPLIFY YOUR HOLIDAYS: A CHRISTMAS PLANNER TO USE YEAR AFTER YEAR. I have a teensy-weensy family -- my two sons, and one of them is working in California over the holidays. Our two sons always had fabulous Christmases -- except for when they accidentally found out that Santa wasn't who they thought he was. One son hasn't forgiven me yet.
Christmas at my house has always been awesome, opulent, insane. I inherited that, but I like to think I have a healthier translation.
364-days out of the year, when I was growing up, we were drinking powered milk because we couldn't afford real milk, wearing second-hand clothes, ducking my stepfather's blows, and unsure whether my mother would try to take herself out the slow way by drinking or the fast way by taking pills or cutting her wrists. But Christmas was to die for. Maybe I shouldn't put it that way. How about this -- the basement door had a sign posted on it from Thanksgiving onward that said Santa's Workshop, and on the big day, there were jawdropping piles of gifts under the tree. The only gift I really remember though, oddly enough, was the box of multiple packs of plain M&M's. First eat the brown which was my least favorite -- I always did least favorite first -- then orange, then blue, green, yellow, and my favorite -- always very last -- was red.
Didn't mean to reminisce. What I want to do is to create an entirely new Christmas that isn't built around things. I open up SIMPLIFY YOUR HOLIDAYS -- serendipitously -- to a page in the Events section that says Where Do I Begin? I page back and find that the author, Marcia Ramsland, "The Organizing Pro,"is explaining how to do a whole new Open House. Marcia tells the story of a woman named Ann who just lost her beloved husband, a doctor, who had been killed on his Moped by an elderly woman driver. Ann continued her family tradition of holding an open house, and changed it up by issuing the invitation in one-hour time slots -- with neighbors coming first, then her husband's work friends, and then church friends. Doing parties has always freaked me out -- until very recently -- because, shh, I was that sure no one will come. But they do. And we have a blast. So now I can begin to entertain Marcia's list -- she suggests thinking of groups of people who would enjoy being together -- neighbors, a reunion of people you met on a cruise, coworkers from the office, church group, support group, walking partners, single parents and their kids uip see at school, business vendors, best friends, and family. Are names exploding in your head right now? They are in mine.
Then, Marcia says to plan your event around these three questions:
1. What's your purpose? neighborhood dessert night? year-end party?
2. What's your theme? a white elephant gift party? a neighborhood cookie exchange? a musical theme with dinner?
3. What will make it a good time? door prizes? games? party favors? catered food? live music?
Oh, and here's an interesting tidbit in answer to the question When do we start planning? the answer, she says, is the day after Halloween which gives you eight whole weeks. And this planner has all the right pages, with the appropriate prompts.
Two more days before I start planning for Christmas.
I am so not ready for Christmas.
And I'm going to buy M&M's to give away on Halloween.
A Christmas book came today.
I am so not ready for Christmas.
I am so not ready for Halloween.
I haven't bought candy yet. I haven't even decided whether to buy candy I like -- or the kind I don't like.
The loose-leaf book is called SIMPLIFY YOUR HOLIDAYS: A CHRISTMAS PLANNER TO USE YEAR AFTER YEAR. I have a teensy-weensy family -- my two sons, and one of them is working in California over the holidays. Our two sons always had fabulous Christmases -- except for when they accidentally found out that Santa wasn't who they thought he was. One son hasn't forgiven me yet.
Christmas at my house has always been awesome, opulent, insane. I inherited that, but I like to think I have a healthier translation.
364-days out of the year, when I was growing up, we were drinking powered milk because we couldn't afford real milk, wearing second-hand clothes, ducking my stepfather's blows, and unsure whether my mother would try to take herself out the slow way by drinking or the fast way by taking pills or cutting her wrists. But Christmas was to die for. Maybe I shouldn't put it that way. How about this -- the basement door had a sign posted on it from Thanksgiving onward that said Santa's Workshop, and on the big day, there were jawdropping piles of gifts under the tree. The only gift I really remember though, oddly enough, was the box of multiple packs of plain M&M's. First eat the brown which was my least favorite -- I always did least favorite first -- then orange, then blue, green, yellow, and my favorite -- always very last -- was red.
Didn't mean to reminisce. What I want to do is to create an entirely new Christmas that isn't built around things. I open up SIMPLIFY YOUR HOLIDAYS -- serendipitously -- to a page in the Events section that says Where Do I Begin? I page back and find that the author, Marcia Ramsland, "The Organizing Pro,"is explaining how to do a whole new Open House. Marcia tells the story of a woman named Ann who just lost her beloved husband, a doctor, who had been killed on his Moped by an elderly woman driver. Ann continued her family tradition of holding an open house, and changed it up by issuing the invitation in one-hour time slots -- with neighbors coming first, then her husband's work friends, and then church friends. Doing parties has always freaked me out -- until very recently -- because, shh, I was that sure no one will come. But they do. And we have a blast. So now I can begin to entertain Marcia's list -- she suggests thinking of groups of people who would enjoy being together -- neighbors, a reunion of people you met on a cruise, coworkers from the office, church group, support group, walking partners, single parents and their kids uip see at school, business vendors, best friends, and family. Are names exploding in your head right now? They are in mine.
Then, Marcia says to plan your event around these three questions:
1. What's your purpose? neighborhood dessert night? year-end party?
2. What's your theme? a white elephant gift party? a neighborhood cookie exchange? a musical theme with dinner?
3. What will make it a good time? door prizes? games? party favors? catered food? live music?
Oh, and here's an interesting tidbit in answer to the question When do we start planning? the answer, she says, is the day after Halloween which gives you eight whole weeks. And this planner has all the right pages, with the appropriate prompts.
Two more days before I start planning for Christmas.
I am so not ready for Christmas.
And I'm going to buy M&M's to give away on Halloween.
Labels: Christmas, Halloween, kids, Marcia Ramsland, SIMPLIFY YOUR HOLIDAYS, transcending the trauma
posted by Diana Page Jordan @ 6:49 PM
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