Wintertime

By Effie Richard (Member of the Scriveners Writers Group

Wintertime means Christmastime, and that’s the busiest time of the year say store owners. It is for most people and it is for me as well. By mid-November the race is on---I start thinking of everything I have to do for Christmas: clean my apartment, decorate the place, maybe put up a tree? Shop for gifts, write and mail Xmas cards, and maybe get a turkey. But I don’t really get rolling until midDecember---because I have to be in the holiday mood to do these things: and then I realize there’s not enough time to do everything, and I start feeling that I want to escape. When I complain to friends that things always get too hectic, they say: “but that’s part of the fun.”

Yet some people don’t get caught up in this fun, or madness. Like Scrooge, they ignore Christmas, “Humbug,” they say. They’ll have nothing to do with it. Others get away from it all by physically removing themselves. They take a plane trip somewhere, usually to a warm spot down South.

And this year, I noticed still another way that people get through Christmas without fuss. Two weeks before Christmas I went to the liquor store to buy a bottle of rum to make my special dark rum fruit cake. I found what I wanted on the shelves and then went to the cashier counter. There were three people ahead of me. A woman was being served, and there were two men lined up behind her, each clutching a bottle.

The clerk at the counter was chatting with the woman as he placed her purchases into a bag. She seemed to be a regular there. “And Mrs. Smith,” he said, “I hope you have a very merry Christmas, and have a big turkey dinner with all the trimmings, and you’ll get to see your children and grandchildren, and get a lot of nice gifts from Santa.” Mrs. Smith just looked at him then picked up her bag of bottles. “Yeah, yeah thanks,” she said, “but never mind all that. Just give me a good glass of Scotch and I’m happy.”

The men behind her howled with laughter. “Yeah, yeah,” said one prancing around. “Right on,” said the other, waving his bottle in the air and stomping around. The scene was both funny and sad. They didn’t want much, these people. Their needs were simple. This was their way of getting through the holidays and maybe through life as well.

It was an amusing scene---like from a comedy skit---but it was also sad, for this woman preferred spending Christmas with her alcoholic drink than with her family.

And then I started thinking--well, what about me---finding the holiday season too hectic. Do I want to ignore Christmas, to escape? No, I don’t think so! Because the most wonderful part about Christmas is that we see people we care about again. We get in touch with old friends, friends far away, relatives and family. It is the one time in the year when everyone stops, when people renew acquaintances, eat, drink, and party. And that’s really important because we need those close ties. So, there you have it---we should throw ourselves into the Christmas spirit, and into the Christmas rush and Christmas happiness.

And about my problem with Christmas preparations getting too hectic? Well, maybe the solution is--to have a glass of Scotch within arm’s reach---and that will add to the fun! and make life easier, right? So, who would say “Humbug” to that?