The Thankful Season

Bah humbug--I'm a Scrooge! I don't understand how Black Friday shopping got all mixed up with the virgin birth of the father of Christianity. I think a few years of working retail cured me of any former love and fascination with the winter holidays. Or, on second thought, maybe it was the Christmas I scratched my cornea decorating the tree and I had to drive myself to the hospital in the middle of the night but the pain was so bad I had to pull over to throw up--no I am pretty sure it was retail.

I worked at Marshall Fields, in china and gourmet the Christmas I was pregnant with Pierce, a job I did for several years and LOVED until that particular Xmas season. Besides the usual crabby customers and merchandise mix-ups, that year there was the day that I was fully eight months pregnant helping a customer who had purchased pillows. While she was in line in our department she decided she needed a box, but she and her companion also decided they needed to go back and get the matching pillow since it was likely it would be gone if the recipient decided they needed two after the holidays(this was a decorative pillow, so supply was always uncertain). I told her that while I was perfectly willing to get a box, if they were going back over there, it would be easier for all concerned, especially the other ten customers in line, for them to get a box while purchasing the second pillow because I would also have to go all the way over there to find a box that big. Well, this woman looked at me up and down and said "it's probably better that you go get the box since you obviously need the exercise." Mind you, each of my children gave me ten pounds I have never been able to lose so someone might fairly say that to me now, but I was in great shape at that point in my life, but HELLO, I was eight months pregnant and my only concession to getting larger was size 10 clothes versus the 6s I was wearing previously. I was hardly fat, and even if I was, who was she to tell me I needed exercise? Then there was the horrible woman who insisted that I find some obscure piece of holiday china that she had to have right that moment which required me to climb to the very top of the seven foot ladder in the storage room and perch precariously over the shelf, again while eight months pregnant!

This year we are hosting Jay's colleagues at our house for a holiday party. This will not be a big to-do since I know and love all of them, and they know us and our common existence with our very bad dogs and two children, but there has been a lot of work we have needed to finish on our house and my beloved decided we should finish it before the party on Sunday. So, we are painting. We finally removed the blinds Homer destroyed (that's also another story that is worth telling someday, but in summary I personally KNOW someone that was featured on America's Most Wanted--how's that for a teaser?) and painted the window frames that have been hidden for at least 10, but more like 30 years... Oh, and then there is the matter of what used to be the "playroom" that I so lovingly decorated for my babies that Bo now calls his room--that he wanted Tiger Gold. Anyone considering Tiger Gold may want to visit our house before purchasing paint--it is SOME color, that is all I can say.

So between horrible memories of holiday retail, a dog that loves poopsicles, painting--which I HATE, and our Christmas decorations in a half-done state, I am not lovin' the holiday season. But, it is not only the season of rampant commercialization, hyperbolic consumerism and wanton greed, it is also a season of faith, love and thankfulness--that I get. So I wanted to share my top ten list of things for which I am thankful!

1. Pathologists, oncologists, nurses and other health professionals
2. Friends, both known and unknown who hold you up when you need it most
3. Farmers and all the people who perform daily hard labor with little recognition
4. Voters, no matter who they voted for--for keeping the dream alive
5. Teachers and coaches who give their lives to shape the lives of others
6. Emergency service professionals who risk their lives for our safety
7. Dogs, even the ones who eat poopsicles, for making life a little lighter
8. Patrons of the arts who maintain our culture, especially in tough times
9. My Super Suppers colleagues for making it a joy to be a small business owner
10. Jay, Pierce and Bo, for making life worth living, even in the dark hours

I hope everyone takes some time to appreciate what we all have, even when the economy is at its worst, we will still have more than so many and we must never forget the pains it took to achieve. Have a wonderful holiday season, filled with love and laughter, skip the stores, all the stuff is cheaper in January anyway. With love, Lisa