alone – New England's Narrow Road

winter Christmas snow — White Christmas?

The day before Thanksgiving this year (2014) we had 13 inches of heavy, wet snow (as seen in my photo). We had a white Thanksgiving, but it seems that dreary rain will be the visitor on Christmas day here in New Hampshire and I suppose most of the northeast.

We have to accept what comes, and I have no young children who will whine about not being able to go outdoors and try out the new sled. I do feel bad for others who have children who will whine. At the moment the left over snow, from that one and only big storm is hard and frozen. I guess most of it will be gone once the rain finishes with us. I hope the winter won’t be filled with rain and ice and mush.

Christmas will be practically nonexistent at my house anyway. It will be pretty much like every other day. I will work. Make some food and possibly build a fire – just for the ambiance. My son will spend the day up in his room playing guitar and my daughter will visit her boyfriend. My Christmas meal will be a simple turkey and stuffing bake (no big turkey – ugh), with cranberry sauce and gravy. I am planning to make a cheesecake, which the kids will enjoy.

Joy for the holidays is missing. The country is a mess, with those who are supposed to be leading us, at all levels, lacking in decency and moral beliefs. When people can march through the streets in the USA and chant that they want “dead cops”, there is something seriously and frighteningly wrong.

Christmas is the day we try to leave that behind and just enjoy family, and the reason behind the celebration. But I will be glad when all the talk of the importance of family is over with. Anyone who is alone at the holidays knows how I feel. There will be no big meal created by relatives all pitching in. No waiting for special people to show up at the door, or traveling to see family. No fabulous desserts made by Auntie, or cookies baked by grandma. No long table filled with loved ones sharing stories and laughter. Festive times are a thing of the past – the far away past.

In my own heart I celebrate the birth of Jesus every day. I depend on him always, and pray for his help throughout each day. Christmas makes me wonder how well Jesus really likes the fact that we do the holiday the way we do. I suspect it does not please him as much as many would like to believe.
This year, rain is the perfect accompaniment for the holiday.

Right now I know a handful of people who will be home, all alone, on Thanksgiving. And not one of them is sad about that!

For the past couple of weeks everywhere I’ve been strangers have asked what I am doing for the holidays. Grocery clerks, nurses at the doctor’s office, bank tellers, you name it. When the nurse asked me what my plans were and I said “I don’t have any”, she looked at me like I had come from another planet. “Oh, are you cooking a turkey?” I said no, that I don’t do that any more. I wish I had added that I drink a bottle of wine now instead. Ha!

But the looks you get when you don’t seem to give a flyin flip about this holiday are quite amusing. My sister says that you can’t say that – that you will be alone and doing nothing. She says that she makes something up because otherwise people think you are pathetic.

The truth is that I don’t have much family. Only 2 of my kids are near me and I have one sister. My daughter nearly always goes to her boyfriend’s family’s house and my son visits his dad who has a big family. And although being invited into someone elses home to spend the holiday with their family seems like a nice thing to do, it is not appealing to me. I don’t want to spend time watching another family spend time together.

Thanksgiving is a family holiday and if you don’t have family, there is no sense in celebrating it. We don’t all have parents, grandparents, cousins, etc. and those of us who don’t prefer to be alone. Some people do have big families and just want to steer clear of all the drama of being together.

So leave us alone if we decide to be alone on Thanksgiving. Enjoy your turkey and crowded roadways and I’ll enjoy a peaceful, quiet day, drinking my wine.