As a child, I would get so excited for Halloween; costumes, candy, how can it get any better? I would look forward to this one night for a month! The month of October was a blur of excitement! This same pattern would repeat itself for the entire month of December. What child doesn’t love all the excitement of Christmas? The month of December raced by! Leading up to the big day there were Advent calendars, cookie exchanges, gift shopping, gift wrapping, tree trimming, enchanting store windows, and finally Midnight Mass. Basically, December was another blur!
Nestled between October and December is the month of November. November allowed us to glory in the Earth’s brightest smile. November is when we all took a breath; we relaxed and focused on gratitude and the blessings we enjoyed. We raked, jumped in leaf piles, put on sweaters, and went enjoyed bedtime stories more because it was dark outside.
As though November wasn’t already perfect enough, it brings us Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is such a perfect holiday; it is all about food and friends and family. It is calm. There is no racing about, no shopping frenzy, no chaos. The worst thing that happens is a post-turkey tryptophan-induced nap.
Somehow, we seem to have lost Thanksgiving. Christmas decorations show up in the stores before Halloween. Christmas music is played all day everyday beginning November 1 and Christmas movies are on every channel. By the 2nd of November, my Facebook and Instagram accounts are filled with pictures of Christmas trees that are twinkling in my friends’ living rooms. And then there are the teacher accounts…teachers bemoaning the fact that though it is only November 3rd, the Christmas frenzy behavior has already begun. And why wouldn’t it? Everywhere children go, all they see and hear is Christmas. Not the religious meaning of the holiday, but the glitz, glamor, and greed.
So, yes, I miss the “over the river and through the woods” Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving reminds me to be grateful for what I have and to do for others…to be the good in someone else’s life. During November, the Earth slows down and settles into the coming of Winter. Days are shorter, trees drop their leaves, animals hibernate or migrate. Nature knows it is time to settle in. November is a chance for us all to step back, take a deep breath, and focus on how we fit into the world. Everything calms down, so why do we race into December and all the “crazy” that seems to go with it?
Let me say again, I refuse to ignore Thanksgiving. I love shopping for just the perfect, plump turkey. I get excited to smell pumpkin pies baking. I make bread for the stuffing, I simmer autumn spices in the potpourri pot, I fill my house with pumpkins and gourds, and I relax. I spend time focusing on my gratitude…and I have so much to be thankful for.
Will I enjoy Christmas? Absolutely, but I refuse to sacrifice this time to just be still. December will come and I will put up a tree, wrap gifts, and enjoy the twinkle. For now, I am content to be fully present in my November.
Chalk Dust and Dreams 