Yes, I have pulled out my Christmas CDs--and I have a lot of them. Then I also have a considerable number of Christmas tapes, collected before CDs were the way to buy music. I also have three Christmas albums on my Kindle fire, so I can have Christmas music no matter which room I am in.
One way I awaken some Christmas Spirit is through music and through the multitude of Christmas movies on TV. The movies may be silly or predictable or sentimental (which can be good or not so good) and of varying quality, but they are reliably upbeat and a happy ending is insured. So with these mood lifters I find my Christmas Spirit growing.
Our Christmas tree would normally be up in the corner of my living room by this far into December. The plan was for Megan and I to put it up and decorate it last weekend. She and I have been the tree people for years, but this weekend she was not feeling well. However, I did get out the little tabletop tree.
The little tree is looking just a bit worn, as it well deserves. It was originally Chad and Anne Marie's tree twenty-some years ago. They passed it on to Jerry and I when we were living in the mobile home in Rapid City. Then, while I was staying with Mother in her last years, I put it out in her house. If it is looking just a bit battered, it is still a loved piece of our family Christmas history.
For Christmas shopping I went to the Internet. I get lots of catalogs every Christmas, and after looking them over I go to the websites and order things. When the boxes arrive I am usually surprised by the contents, having already forgotten what all I ordered in my shopping frenzy. Some of the items may seem a little odd, but at least my shopping is done!
By the time we get to the Christmas Eve service at church, the Christmas Spirit will prevail.
