The Christmas season always brings with it a deluge of Christmas movies, most of them tests in one’s tolerance for the saccharine (any Chevy Chase movie). There are rare exception such as the classic “It’s A Wonderful Life”. Another tiresome practice is the canned Christmas music blaring from many stores. I can avoid all this as I don’t Christmas shop. In New York City, of course, you can’t get away from it because it’s a city culture, and walking anywhere exposes you. Thus it is, that I have developed a profound distaste for “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” and “Rudolph, the you-know what”. Jingle Bells not far behind. Fa la la la la is also in danger.

You know what they say – Christmas is for children and I don’t have any, so no grand children. I still haven’t gotten to the stage where I regret that. I made my choices and I’m still happy with them. If I could press a button, I might wish for a grown offspring, handsome or beautiful, kind, successful and DEVOTED, who would show up on Mom’s doorstep and take her for an elegant lunch or dinner. But you don’t hardly get that even when you go the whole route.

Because Ed and I have the one car (in a multiple car culture down here) I don’t get to volunteer and deprive Ed of wheels. Else, I might volunteer at a senior center, or a place that treats children, or an animal shelter (the hardest of all – one wants to take them all home). So that’s what I will do, if circumstances ever permit.

I spoke with my childhood friend, P, this morning, she of the desperate circumstances. She is dog-sitting this Christmas and can’t say no because it is her only income besides the very modest social security check she gets. She was devastated, sad to say, to learn there would be no cost of living increase in January (Randy Solitaire, are you listening?) For her, this increase is the difference between dinner or NOT.

P also faces classical downturns in her profession of later life. Her long-time clients are losing their animals to old age and illness. Aside from having to scramble for new clients, she is also greatly saddened as she has grown very fond of her long time charges.

But all this grumbling aside, it’s still a time of year to count your blessings, and Ed and I, despite temporary glitches, are doing okay and wish the same to you all.

xx, Teal