My husband often tells me that I go overboard for the holidays. It’s not about the money- I can do a lot with a little. He says that I have high expectations and then I tend to get stressed if things don’t work out how I envisioned them. If he would be willing to help out, maybe I wouldn’t be as stressed. His excuse for non-involvement? It is not his thing.
I don’t celebrate patriotic holidays- that is to say, I don’t decorate or make theme food. I do love a parade and any time there are fireworks, I’ll be there. I’m not a fan of Thanksgiving- two days of cleaning and three days of cooking, then cleaning after. Trying to fit in everyone’s schedule while having all the food on the table, hot and coordinated to come out of the oven at the same time. On the other hand, my husband says that Thanksgiving is his favorite holiday—plenty of food and he doesn’t have to buy presents.
I do have quite a collection of decorative turkeys. They are my pride and joy. I bought a few from the local thrift store but inherited some from my mother. There are the pine cone turkeys made by my grandchildren, soup tureen turkeys (for display only), ceramic turkeys used as planters, a candy dish or two, and the salt and pepper shakers. I’m a vegetarian so having those turkeys stare at us while we are dining, is my way of giving thanks and getting even.
Christmas is a holiday of mixed emotions. The older grandkids would prefer to be anywhere else and they just want money. The younger grandkids still love toys but if you visited their house, you might think you were in the Target toy aisles. When I say there is not a single thing I can buy my husband, I mean it. No clothes, no books, no treats, no hobbies (not a single one), no kidding! My granddaughter Emersyn realized that Grandpa likes coffee so she always finds a mug for him. What she doesn’t know is that my husband is a mug perfectionist. It has to be just the right color, height, weight, circumference, and the handle has to fit his hand properly. Emersyn chooses mugs by the sayings printed on the side and now Grandpa has quite the collection of the “world’s best grandpa” coffee cups. Buying gifts can be stressful and expensive so I tend to just give money when appropriate.
It’s the decorating, the cleaning, the cards (yes, I still send Christmas cards), the cookie baking, parties, concerts, and on-line shopping that gets to me. I try to keep it all to a minimum but there are a few traditions I won’t let go. Every year I have an ugly sweater sugar cookie decorating party. This is serious business- a competition with prizes in several categories. It can’t be a party without sugar and frosting everywhere and I am talking about the adults. The adults have a run for their money, the kids are quite creative. I have a problem with the word “ugly”. No matter how hard I try, I end up making a pretty sweater instead. The best part is eating cookies and licking frosting. Cookies made by kids go home with them.
We do the same thing at Easter- the egg-dying and decorating party- no egg is wasted. If an egg cracks, then it becomes a snack. We create our own colors and once again, the ones to beat are the kids- they think outside that box. My eggs are always the same- one dedicated to my husband, Captain Jack Sparrow, the moon, the sun, tulips, and chicks. We have tried a variety of egg decorating techniques- rubber bands, wax, stickers, flora and panty hose, and crayon drawings to name a few—thank you Martha Stewart. In the end, we vote on the eggs and prizes are handed out accordingly.
My granddaughters now fill colorful plastic eggs with spring notes of inspiration. They add a few stickers then hide them on the hiking trails. They are filled with joy when they notice an egg has been found. They want to spread happiness and that to me is a wonderful way to celebrate a holiday.
There is one holiday I can’t get enough -HALLOWEEN! I will find an array of events, from autumn festivals with hay rides to haunted houses of all types.
I have my own little tradition of watching a scary movie every day beginning October 1st until November 1st. I always begin with Rosemary’s Baby. I’m not a fan of slasher movies and Ghostbusters are high on my list. But I can’t skip the vampire, werewolf, or zombie movies either. There are night hikes we call “ghost hunts” and I always make Halloween theme food- jello brains, mummy hot dogs, witches brew.
This is where having three granddaughters under the age of 10 comes in handy. I can enjoy all the events with the ruse of doing everything for them.
I can’t talk about Halloween without discussing the costumes. Last year I decided to dress up for our community trick-or-treat night. I was Moira Rose from Schitt’s Creek- the Crows Have Eyes Moira. The adults got it, the kids, not so much.
Fads often dictate the costumes- last year’s winner was Wednesday Addams. Harry Potter, Super Heros, Disney characters are still popular and the classics never go out of style- Dracula, Frankenstein, ghosts and witches.
We had a rule at our house when our sons were young. All costumes had to be home-made with what we had on hand. That included shields and swords (cardboard and duct tape). I used plenty of bed sheets in those days. Now Amazon does great business- choose your costume, put it in the cart, click, sold and paid for. To each their own.
I will continue to put up my nature scene at Christmas, fill baskets with tin and papier-mache eggs, take a hundred photos of the July 4th parade, and hang skeletons on the front porch. I will always buy chocolate candy for Easter and Halloween way to early only to discover I have eaten it all. I will continue to involve my family and friends, and get a little tired and stressed.
I’m not going to give up celebrating my way. It is who I am.