I am writing this in the perfect Wisconsin scene. Snow is falling, a fire is burning and the lights of the Christmas tree sparkle. Lake Michigan is icy blue and there are deer tracks in the driveway. It is a beautiful 25 degrees.
We drove the 1,000 miles from North Carolina to Wisconsin in two days, taking our time and stopping for long lunches and a bit of shopping, stopping for the night when the rain came down in sheets and it appeared that out little car would be drowned by the huge trucks on the interstate. Shortly after crossing the northern border of Illinois we stopped for lunch. A Packer table cloth graced the foyer of the restaurant. I was home! It was freezing!!
When we stopped for lunch in Ashville, NC, it was warm enough for tables to be set in the patios and sidewalk cafes. Twenty-four hours later I was rummaging for my down parka and fur lined mittens just to walk across the parking lot. There is a world of difference between Christmas in the South and here in Packer Country.
I have not been quick to get into the Holiday Spirit this year. Since we were traveling, we didn’t decorate the house and our shopping is fairly minimal. My walks on warm days in Mooresville showed the impossible combination of those huge blow up snowmen standing next to a blooming rose bush, or Santa on a dock next to a motor boat that looked like it was about to take him for a spin around the lake. People were mowing their grass next to the parked reindeer. It just didn’t seem right.
We drove into my little hometown of Kewaunee on Thursday night. There was a bit of snow in the air and gale force winds buffeted the car. The streets were decorated and downtown was festive with holiday trees in the park where our family feedmill once stood. When we walked in the front door of the cottage, a Christmas tree in the livingroom (placed there either by elves or my brother) greeted us. The spark of Holiday spirit was starting to creep in.
Last night we went to a Christmas party. Everyone was dressed in holiday finery under their layers of down and wool, hats and mittens were piled nearby. As we greeted friends in the beautiful historic hotel, decorated with trees and wreaths, the mood was festive. We celebrated old and new friends enjoying the Holiday cheer and a tasty dinner. Christmas is a week from tomorrow and for me, this is just about the right time to start feeling the season.
I start to itch when Christmas decorations appear in stores before Halloween; it makes me crazy if I hear Christmas music before Thanksgiving. The commercial side of Christmas is too much, too early and too gaudy. For me, it takes away from, rather than enhances the feelings that go with the season.
Instead, I prefer to celebrate with those who are dear to me, to remember the smell of baking cookies and to sit in front of a fire with only that and the tree lights burning. Sharing times with friends and family, admiring the Christmas tree, seeing the snow … this is the perfect way to start the Christmas season.
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