The insistent beep pierces the air, slicing through the gentle stillness, until a hand sweeps forward to silence it. The alarm has called, yet eyelids struggle from slumber to see nothing as grey still cloaks the sky. Dark, dreary dawn does little to inspire any energy for the day ahead.
It’s a day shy of November as I write this. Following a glorious autumn, the weather now reflects what is expected of this time of year. Temperatures have taken a nose dive. Skies are often dull and thick, heavy rains fall with a driving persistence. The S-word has been dropped from meteorologists on radio and television, and while we’ve avoided it to this point, it’s just a matter of time before a good dumping of fluffy flakes buries our landscape in pristine white.
For a sun-loving, summer-savouring woman, who finds her little bit of heaven in long walks in the sand or lazy afternoons on the patio, the winds of seasonal change are tolerated not anticipated. It’s the time of year when I look for ways to take my mind far away from talks of blizzards and whiteouts. Setting up dates to do things I enjoy with people I love goes a long way to making these next few months much shorter.
With that in mind, I’m looking forward excitedly to this upcoming weekend. A friend and I are getting a jump on our Christmas shopping with a two-day getaway in a nearby city. She and I met in elementary school and now, living two hours away from each other, times together are rare but always met with enthusiasm. That we both are big fans of the holiday season and never passed a store we didn’t enter makes this particular date perfect for us.
It was a few decades ago when, expecting my second child, I found out how much I enjoyed being an early Christmas shopper. Spreading out the purchasing over a few months put less stress on the limited budget and made attacking the long list less daunting. It didn’t take long to see the other benefits too — no crowds, no big lines and no last-minute panic to find that popular soldout toy.
Also, since my daughter arrived just days before Christmas it turned out to be a really good thing that the shopping was done and all the presents were wrapped and under the tree before she made her entrance.
While the latter reason was not the norm (though it did happen one other time before our family was complete) it was all enough to show me the wisdom in getting presents bought and wrapped ahead of the rush. Now, as others run hither and yon in the busy weeks preceding Dec. 25, I am nestled by the fireplace, warmed by the twinkling lights on the tree, glass of wine in hand while letting the ambiance soothe me.
Of course, I’m not the only person who feels this way about the holiday shopping. There are increasingly more people in the malls and on the streets when I set out than there used to be. And to meet the demand merchants are on top of things already with areas of their businesses looking a lot like Christmas. Following the commemoration of Remembrance Day, every nook and cranny will be looking festive. Decorations put us in the spirit and suggestions for everybody’s wish list will be front and centre.
To get the inspiration going even more, including for those folks like my hubby who won’t think of shopping before mid-December, Christmas promotions will follow fast on the heels of Halloween. I can’t wait. This season is the bright spot in what could otherwise be a dreary few months.
I can do my part also to get people in the mood, with these collections of holiday gift images to guide your thoughts toward the task ahead and inspire your festive projects:
