Thinking About Christmas

I mentioned Christmas in an earlier blog and it’s been on my mind lately since Sunday marks the beginning of November. It’s been a few years since I’ve celebrated. When I lived in Michigan, the tradition was to get together at my grandparent’s house with the aunts and uncles and cousins. In the more recent years, everyone was starting family’s of their own and getting everyone in one place was difficult.

After I moved to Oklahoma, holidays weren’t as big a deal for me. I spent some time with my grandmother and some aunts and uncles, but there was a huge difference in the social dynamic. I was used to the loud and sometimes dramatic Christmases I’d grown up with, so it was a little strange experiencing a quiet one where conversation was limited and everyone did their own thing (read, watched TV, solved Sudoku puzzles).
Last year, I didn’t celebrate Christmas. Jon and I didn’t buy presents for each other and he went to Illinois while I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day by myself. I have to admit though, that part of me really enjoyed that. There was no stress. It was quiet. I could do whatever I wanted. I made myself a nice meal, did some baking, and watched True Blood. It wasn’t a celebration per se, but it did me a world of good to experience what used to be my favorite holiday on my own for once.

This year, a lot has changed and I think I’m going to enjoy the season. With November only a few days away, I’m looking for decorations, and I’ve already bought two gifts for Jon. I want to get stockings, a cheap Xmas tree, and some decorations. I want to go crazy with baking, and I want to have a nice meal, and I want to listen to Christmas CDs, at least for a day or two before they become really annoying. I’m going to try to find some Christmas cards and send those out, even if I don’t get around to knitting everyone a scarf or other sort of gift. We might even spend it with some friends who have no plans to leave town for the holidays, and that would be fine with me.

There’s a Christmas craft show in a couple weeks I’m going to attend and I’ll be keeping my eye out for a tree. A friend sent me a bunch of Christmas cookie recipes and I’m going to start looking for candy recipes. I figure while I’ve been in a major baking mode, I might as well start making and freezing in preparation.

If anyone has any recipes or brilliant ideas for the holidays, please share them with me. I don’t want stress, but I do want to stay busy and have a season I can remember.