De-Decorated
The Nutroll recipe from my daughter’s handwritten cookbook.
When did I stop decorating for the December holidays? It might have been after my superb Decorator-in-Chief (my daughter) officially moved into her own home. From the time she was little, she was the one who managed the sprucing-up of our house. Garland inside and lights outside! A tree filled with ornaments! Hanukkah! Celebratory stuff for New Year’s Eve!
I’ve simply become too lazy to bother with decorations, which languish in our attic year after year. I think...“Maybe I’ll decorate this year”...and then I sink back into a book or continue wrapping and shipping gifts to my beloved nieces and nephews...and to our families-by-choice in the Czech Republic and Japan.
Occasionally, I think fondly of some of my favorite Christmas tree ornaments: the Elvis Presley on swivel hips that my daughter and I bought in Memphis...the cinnamon ball that smelled terrific, even years after I bought it...the clothespin horse that my older sister made for me. And then there are the other things: the Santa Claus mugs (for hot chocolate!)...the hand-carved pine trees and reindeer...the table swags with gold tassels.
Have I lost the “holiday spirit”? Hmmmmmm...maybe? I barely bake (counting on my daughter to bring us Nut Roll, made from the recipe that she and I used for years as we baked together). I no longer make my recipe for Hot Chocolate (that I used to give to friends and family for the holidays). The only holiday music I play is Louis Armstrong’s “The Christmas Collection.”
https://www.amazon.com/Best-Louis-Armstrong-Christmas-Collection/dp/B0000C23DD
I do send holiday cards. Dozens and dozens, each with a special note to friends. Writing and sending cards is a pleasurable activity to me...as I think of my friends from near and far, letting them know that I think of them. It is a small gesture but one that is important to me.
When the New Year arrives, I always find myself thinking...“Maybe I’ll decorate next year” (it’s sort of like a Cleveland Browns football season...Maybe next year).
