Enjoying the season again!

The holiday season is upon us! Working for 18 years in retail, I became a bit jaded, and couldn't fully enjoy Christmas time. Don't get me wrong, I loved my job, and loved all that went on there at Christmas. It just meant trying to cram in decorating, parties, shopping, and seasonal activities into small amounts of time. I think anyone who has worked retail at Christmas will tell you, the last thing you wanted to do after a day of work was to go out amongst the public again. Working in retail, you have to be somewhat of a people person, but that doesn't mean you have to like them, and at the end of the day you usually didn't. Three years removed from work, and I'm starting to enjoy everything again, having the boys around helps too. J loves Christmas and everything that surrounds it, now I'm coming along for the ride too.

My wife loves Christmas music, and I used to cringe whenever we got in her car (around Christmas), because it meant we had to listen to it. My idea of Christmas music was the South Park's Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics album, complete with Merry F**king Christmas, Christmas Time in Hell, and The Lonely Jew on Christmas. Okay, I still think they are classics, but now I am actually enjoying listening to more traditional fare too. I even turned the XM holiday station on of my own accord the other day.

Decorating was always something that I didn't want to take the time to do, I had already done that at work. I still don't do much of the house decorating, because my wife enjoys it and does such a great job. I put the lights up outside (although not on the roof, to avoid me breaking my neck, we pay someone to do that), and on the Christmas tree. Much to J's surprise I did it without being nagged to, once again I am enjoying the season more. We get a real tree every year and it's always fun to pick that out with the boys and then decorate together.

Probably what I am enjoying most, are the family things we do. We are not very religious in our house, we don't attend church, so we don't participate in any of the religious aspects of the season. For us it is about our family holiday traditions, and PRESENTS. Yes we are part of the commercialism problem, but we also try to make sure to participate in the charitable side too, making our boys aware of those less fortunate and how it is important to help. A tradition to help do that, is where we go as a family and get some names off of an angel tree (the boys like to pick out boys their age, and maybe a girl their age too) and go out and get toys and clothes and things off their list. We try to let the boys pick things out so they feel a part of it. The boys also go with their grandmother and ring the bell for the salvation army. We also go see the Zoo lights, have Christmas eve dinner with my parents (which used to have to wait till I was off work), and of course the single Christmas eve present that is always pajamas. Maybe my favorite thing is the school programs, I can't wait to see Q's since it will be his first, and O always proves entertaining. Apparently we are even starting something new this year, where I attend the Festival of Trees (a charitable fundraising event, where people donate decorated trees and such to be auctioned off), with my wife, her parents, and her sister (and her husband). We'll see how that goes, in the past she just went with her mom, grandma, aunts, and sister. It was always an adventure to see what she might come home with. One year she bought a tree composed of Love Sac's (bean bags), it was huge, it took up half our living room, all told I think there were 8 or 9 of them stacked up with ribbon and lights strewn around them. I just wish I had a picture of it. I may crimp J's style, my understanding is that she is quite the bulldog when bidding on things.

Lastly there is shopping, I don't have to wedge it in late at night, or at the last minute any more, but I still have to try to decide what to get. At least now I have the time to do it at my leisure, and with both boys in school at the same time I can do theirs easy too. Overall it's just me enjoying the season and everything about it. Happy Holidays everyone!!!