Happy Holidays

Real-world post completed, I can get to the more important stuff. The holidays.

First, I have a lot to be thankful for. And this Thanksgiving brought that home more than usual. I am thankful for so much.
-Love from my friends and family, who are a constantly growing web of people.
-A sister who has faith in God and country, in ways different and yet not so different from mine.
-A Jewish community at the non-denominational Sixth and I synagogue, who so far have been very kind and welcoming. Even if I still haven't made it to any services there.
-A new home that is safe and warm and already full of pleasant memories, and plenty big enough for one woman.
-A job that pays the rent.
-Enough yarn to see me through this economic climate, and enough spending money to support my LYS and online retailers for just a teensy bit more should I desire.
-A local library that is sometimes my solace.
-A gorgeous city only minutes from my door- I am so thankful that I still appreciate it, and want to see more of it.

Second, after my short list of thanks, there's the holidays more generally. I don't like hearing Christmas music between Halloween and Thanksgiving. I think it's ridiculous to rush the year along, just because the weather has cooled down and retailers are doing poorly. But I admit to a hidden love for Christmas carols and festive decorations and tidings the minute Thanksgiving is over. I am already ready to bring on the holiday cheer. One of my favorite movies is Holiday Inn, a silly little thing with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, but it does get you in the spirit of the season. For a Jewish chick, I do love the Christmas songs. The new Stephen Colbert Christmas Special was a nice and funny kickstart for this year- all I need to watch now is the new Muppet special and I should be completely into the holiday mood.

I did a good bit of my gift buying online yesterday, during the Black Friday specials. Part of me wishes I could have done more through my own handcrafts, or purchased from Etsy sellers who handmade their items. But most of what I got, after thinking it through, were games and other things that will bring people together. I hope they will allow my family and friends to remember that real holiday togetherness later on, since I don't imagine 2009 will be much easier than 2008. We are all so geographically spread out, and will be more so once my sister deploys in January. We have so much to be thankful for, the main things we have been provided with. Despite all that, I still wish my family could be a little bit closer.

I have great hope for our new President, but I think he just signed up for an almost impossible task. I think most of us are hoping for the best, but see a long road ahead. What better way to begin the next year than with a truly festive holiday- a celebration not quantified in money or gifts or fancy food and drink, but a holiday of the spirit. Coming together for company, and to spread the love. I think it's worth considering, even for the most bah-humbug of us, to try just a little harder in the next short weeks to express that love, and to really cherish what (and especially who) we have. It's a challenge anyone can win, and I'm ready for it myself.