It’s only two weeks until I go home for Christmas. Very exciting yeah!!! There may not be snow here but it still looks and feels like Christmas. We have streets with trees covered in sparkly white lights, we have carroling competitions on the corners downtown with mobs of carollers shutting down the streets, we have a christmas tree-topped Space Needle and a radio tower decked with red and green Christmas lights all the way up (Grandpa would like that), we have professional carollers dressed up and strolling the Seattle Center and an outdoor ice skating rink, and we have the Christmas music playing in the stores and the gray skies like I’m used to. Furthermore, we have a stellar Christmas tree all decorated up thanks to Mary and Costco, garland across our fireplace secured by a Nutcracker just like Mom’s and our lone tree in our front yard strung up with lights. Thank goodness my roommate likes to be festive and definitely fulfills when she sets her mind to something.
But even though I have all the Christmas spirit around me I think I am still secretly waiting. I’m holding out for our spiral and bow-tied porch columns, the ornaments that have been adding to my collection over the years especially the translucent one that auras Licky, the stuffed santa clauses and red towels, the little saucer cups that even make Grandpa stick out his little pinky, and our tree filled with beautifully decorated packages.
And that is only the beginning of it all. I am most looking forward to a real wood campfire made by my dad, my mom’s way-too-good crab and clam chowder dinner, going to church for the only time we go as a family, playing all of our Christmas CDs and singing to them while making breakfast before Sportscenter gets turned on, drinking my parents great coffee and doing a crossword with the tree lit up and snow on the ground out of the corners of my eyes, getting to unwrap all the little gifts in my stocking (by far my favorite gifts), and going over to my Grandparents Christmas Day to see everyone, take turns opening each and every gift.
It is such a lovely time of the year and although I really, really enjoyed hosting Thanksgiving and celebrating that holiday with friends I can’t imagine not doing Christmas with my family. Stay tuned for the Break List.
Chelsea
Evolving in the Emerald City 