Wish List

Thanksgiving is behind us, and ahead looms the spectre of Christmas. Is it a friendly ghost or a wicked one for you? Let’s shine it up, turn on some sparkly lights, and make a list of what we want for the holidays this year, to ensure a good time for all!

I’ll take some of that old standby, Peace on Earth, please. And a sprinkling of snow, but not too much, I don’t want to be greedy. Glittery ornaments and some fresh-smelling greens would be appreciated as well. Send me some marvelous stories in the newspapers, full of compassion and good will. Remember that feeling of empathy we discovered during the Hurricane? You can keep that going for a while, too. I’ll take some star shaped cookies, and don’t tell anyone, but I also like fruitcake!

In the spirit of the season, I’ll ask for too much – you can decide what to choose for me. Let’s add good health and prosperity for all, and a barrel of laughs. There’s no such thing as too much hope, so put that on my list, too. Oh, and red wine. A pinch of silliness goes a long way, and will go well with the wine! I already have reindeer antlers (see enclosed photo) but maybe some elfish shoes?

I’ll leave it at that, with the caveat that I get to add more, later. Do you have a deadline? Don’t worry about timing on my end, you can deliver the Peace and Prosperity any time! Thank you, Namaste, Aloha, Shalom, Asti Spumanti, and so it is!

What’s on your list?

Boo!

What will you be doing on October 31 --  Dressing up for trick-or-treating?  Bobbing for apples or drinking smoky punch from a cauldron?  If you want to be truly traditional, make sure there is a bonfire around; but please, keep the authenticity in check and don’t sacrifice any animals.  That’s what the Druids would do 2000 years ago as they celebrated their New Year’s Eve with sacred bonfires.  They also believed that the veil between heaven and earth, between the living and the dead, was at its thinnest on this night - thus all the ghosts ringing your doorbell.

We start spending more time in the dark now, and a bonfire would be welcome.  Christmas lights will soon follow the jack o’lantern candles, bringing comfort and a feeling of wellbeing to the peak of this dark period.  And of course, between times we will celebrate our good harvest with some turkey and turnips.  

I think someone knew what he was doing as the holidays of feasting and light were being scheduled. It’s no fun being stuck in the house in the dark, especially with the cost of lamp oil these days! 

So ignite the fire and bake a pumpkin pie and start untangling the strands of Christmas lights.  Keep the darkness at bay for as long as possible.  Soon enough the world will turn and the sun will increase its time with us.  And get your hands out of the Halloween candy.  That’s for the ghosts!

Labor Day 2010

The summer has been hotter than usual and everyone is ready for some cooler weather, which we are getting this weekend in New Jersey.  It is bittersweet, this enjoyment of the last weekend of summer.  School is beginning and regular schedules are about to be re-imposed on many of us.  Soon, the bitter winds of winter will be here and we will certainly yearn for the summer heat, forgetting how miserable it has made us.

What to do?  Enjoy today.  It is a time to eat and play and gather.  No bleak talk about the work week to come, the icicles we anticipate, or the diets we plan before the winter holidays roll in.   Soak up the moment, savor the weather and the foods and the company. Appreciate, absorb, internalize.  Drink in the day as if you are a sponge, and be filled with good feelings and intentions that will carry you into the “new year” with lightness and joy.

Pause at the beginning of the day to set an intention for joy.  Return to that intention often during the day, and recall it again before you sleep at night. The joy is now.