Are you having a holly, jolly Christmas?

The temperatures are shrinking under 30, ice melt is in high demand and nativity scenes are setting out baby Jesus. What is it about this time of year that brings me back to remembering why I love Christmas and why I dread the expectations (ones I've created of course) behind Christmas. I simply love December 25th because of the music, the bows, the lights, more lights and my family. It's been a few years since I've been able to stroll on over to my mom's house and bask in the glory of mom-made everything. Given this special day, I have made it home and am currently typing away from her kitchen table, while nibbling on pomegranate seeds and lil smokeys. It doesn't get much better than this.

But why do I dread this time of year? - Money and Grinches galore. People hustle and bustle spending wads of green, clog up cashier lines and forget to take the time to smell the roses, so maybe not roses but definitely the poinsettias. I'm not sure we'll ever get back into the real meaning of Christmas, I myself have always associated it to anything green, red and wrapped, but as I get older and begin the 12 days of Christmas countdown, I find myself wanting for things to be simplified. (Like I said I can be a Grinch.)

Whatever it is that's going to get me through tomorrow and years to come is something I need to address quickly. I can't stand the lines, I can't stand the thought of going in debt and I certainly don't like the taste of cheap peppermint bark. I might come empty handed when gifts are hidden under the tree, but in my current, less than happy bank account, and personal beliefs, I want this time of year to be about driving and scoping out the lights, sipping on cranberry martinis, bundling up in fleece blankets and being with the ones most dear to my heart. Following the Grinch, I've realized one thing - "It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags." Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. "Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas..." He thought "...means a little bit more."