Thursday, December 25, 2008

Listen...

I'm like a kid on Christmas morning. I am so full of excitement that I can't sleep and I am reading everybody's Christmas blogs and there is good cheer all over the place. If that doesn't get you in the proper mood, I don't know what does. It's all rubbing off on me very much and I think I ought to be having Glühwein now and pieces of bitter dark chocolate.

The message of the season is clear. It's about joy and goodwill and sharing and togetherness and being cozy in each other's company. The whole crazy rat race has led up to this day, the unfolding of the Christmas spirit, and even I as an atheist can feel it. I am a sucker for sentiment.

I am living vicariously through everybody else's excitement and it is so catching. I love reading about everybody's preparations for the big day as I jump from one blog to the other. It makes me feel like I am right in the middle of it. Like I am some fairy godmother who is somehow responsible for making it all happen. What grandiose thoughts I have, but I do feel like that a little bit.

All over the place Father Christmas is being plied with good offerings of milk and cookies or wine and mince pies. I wonder who will get the best presents? If I were him, I would reward those with the wine and mince pies the most. There is nothing better to warm yourself on a cold Christmas night.

I thought I was going to be like Scrooge this Christmas, but I am not at all and have found the joy of it deep within my heart, even if I am celebrating it on my own. It's okay to do it this way and to be alone here with the animals, because the spirit of it is with me anyway and even though I am a pagan, or a doubtful atheist at heart, I understand the goodwill toward mankind and the longing for togetherness and the symbolic gestures of the rituals and I reaffirm the message of peace on earth, especially now.

I am glad that I am not surrounded by a host of cynical people who will even cast a sentence of malignment on the small grasp I still have on the season's indisputables. Who will wipe everything off the table and declare the whole thing as nonsense. I do wish to keep acknowledging some of the absolute downrights still. Such as goodwill to all men and peace on earth.

Being single allows me to make my own rules about how I celebrate the season, about what elements are important to me and how I think and feel about them. It's wonderful to have this feeling and to make the discoveries. I am no longer fitted in one straight jacket or another, either one at opposite ends of the spectrum. I don't have to please anyone but myself, nor listen to anyone's dissertation about what Christmas is all about and how it should and should not be celebrated. That's my freedom of choice.

I will festively dress today and have morning coffee with my sister. Her children are with their father until the weekend is over, but I think she has plans for the whole of that time. She has a large group of friends and acquaintances.

The Exfactor sent me a short email announcing that he was busy, but that he would come by for a while on Saturday afternoon. I replied why he thought that this might be convenient for me. Now I must make a plan for Saturday afternoon. I will not be taken for granted like that.

I am expecting an extra 100 Euros from Social Services and when I get it, I am going to pick out different glasses, because the ones I picked out were only 29 Euros, the cheapest they had, not including the lenses, and I have decided that I am not all that happy with them. I think they make me look too stern and that they are not flattering enough. I want to see if I can find something better for a bit more money. So, that is going to be my Christmas present to myself. I get a 25% discount through my health insurance and I have just found out that they are tax deductible. The reason I mention this, is that it would be nice if I had the money on Saturday and then I could go downtown in the afternoon.

Well now, I am not having a good goose roasting in it's own fat today, but I will eat what I usually eat. I doesn't matter, because I would hate to have to face a plate of food I couldn't eat. I think I will make a simple rice dish and than the Überhund and I can eat that together.

Have a really terrific Christmas everybody and blog about it, please. I want to know all about it.

Ciao...

15 comments:

laurie said...

merry, merry christmas, irene! coffee with your sister and shopping for new glasses and reading blogs sounds like a lovely lovely private holiday.

i am too full of cookies to say more. i'll write more after i wake up. but i did post something you might like. (it'll post automatically after midnight.)

merry christmas!

Anonymous said...

Irene, my friend, I hope your Christmas is joyous and peaceful. You deserve to have a wonderful day. If you were here, I'm make you a big pot of coffee and give you lots of chocolate!

Good for you for treating yourself! I hope you have a bit extra to buy one of your beautiful necklaces.

Merry, Merry Christmas. Sending love, hugs and blessings. Thank you for being such a good person and friend.
XXXXXX

The Artful Eye said...

Dear Irene,

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

It's peaceful here. I like it. Glad you are in a bright and cheery space.

Sending hugs and good cheer.

xo Andrea

Mean Mom said...

Season's greetings to you, irene! I hope that you have a good day and enjoy your morning coffee with your sister.

I have had flu for the past week or so, and still don't feel brilliant, today, but I am definitely improving!

Hope you can find some suitable glasses, when you go shopping.

Casdok said...

Hope you have the best day! :)
Peace joy and happiness to you.

CC said...

Merry Christmas Irene!!! Glad to hear you are in the Christmas spirit; may you day glorious!

Babaloo said...

Merry Christmas, Irene! Sounds like your Christmas is just right.

Getting new glasses for yourself sounds very nice. Good plan!

lebanesa said...

Have a joyful day.
I will try and take a picture of the tree and put it on my blog. As usual it is a bit of a rush and I didn't do it while all the presents were under it.
Hope the day is good.
Love and hugs
Peace and Goodwill

Jill of All Trades said...

Merry Christmas!

Gabrielle said...

Merry Christmas, Irene!

Mean Mom said...

Just called in again, quickly, to say I hope that your day went well. I am now at my parents' house, a bit further north, and using my dongle, to catch up with a bit of blog reading. Isn't modern technology wonderful?

I'm worn out from coughing, though, so I shall be glad to drop into bed, tonight. Goodnight, irene.

xxxx said...

I hope you have a wonderful day ... Merry Christmas! :)

VioletSky said...

I can't believe how many messages you got on the 25th - so many people blogging on Christmas Day! Anyway, your day sounds idyllic.

Breakfast in California said...

Love the snow!!!

Maureen said...

Oh how I wish I had time to actually blog or even read blogs on Christmas Day! But even though I'm late, it's no less heartfelt; Happy Christmas Irene!