Now that we're moving, a note on the new location--

Welcome to Simply Xmas' new home at Blogger!

After giving the matter some thought, I decided that I would, after 5+ years on the Wordpress platform,  move Simply Xmas over to Google's Blogger. Suffice it to say there are certain advantages to using Blogger that finally swayed me in this direction. The transfer went suprisingly well, but there were a few glitches that must be corrected.  Beyond that, there is a lot of  "dead wood" in the blog that I am going to cull over the next few days: dated material specific to one geographic region, etc. In the beginning this blog focused heavily on covering the various trappings of the Christmas season in the region where I live, but it has been drifting away from that, and more towards a "general" holiday blog. Henceforth, the focus will be the history of Christmas, Christmas recipes, old and new, Christmas games, stories, poetry, images, thoughts and reflections, and of course, ideas related to how you can simplify your Christmas, making it more joyful and less stressful.

This process of cleaning up should take a week or two, and I should be posting fresh content regularly by no later than Thanksgiving, and possibly even earlier than that. Meanwhile, there's a lot here to look through, if this is your first visit.

Some consider Halloween the traditional "kickoff" of the holiday season. Allow me, then, to say for the first time this year: Happy Holidays!

"Valley Winter Song" - Fountains of Wayne

"Safe"

"Snow-Bound" (1865)

Hot Cinnamon Cider (non-alcohol)

This easy to prepare drink is guaranteed to warm you and your guests from head-to-toe on a cold winter's night.

Ingredients:

• 3 quarts apple cider


• 1/3 cup hot cinammon candies (e.g., "red hots" or "cinnamon imperials")


• 1 tablesoon whole allspice


• 3 tablespoons honey

Preparation:

Heat cider, cinammon candies and allspice to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove allspice; stir in honey.  Serve in mugs & garnish with cinnamon stick if desired. Makes 24 1/2 cup servings.

"Good Hours" (1915)

I had for my winter evening walk—
No one at all with whom to talk,
But I had the cottages in a row
Up to their shining eyes in snow.

And I thought I had the folk within:
I had the sound of a violin;
I had a glimpse through curtain laces
Of youthful forms and youthful faces.

I had such company outward bound.
I went till there were no cottages found.
I turned and repented, but coming back
I saw no window but that was black.

Over the snow my creaking feet
Disturbed the slumbering village street
Like profanation, by your leave,
At ten o’clock of a winter eve.

Robert Frost (1874–1963).  North of Boston, 1915.

The First day of Winter

I'm an outspoken person, so by all means, take the following with a grain of salt...

It will officially be winter in a few hours. I had to go out on this near-winter's day, because I needed a few groceries and a pair of pants. I expected it would be bad out there, and my expectations were, in fact, exceeded. It was horrible out there. The traffic was horrible, the stores were packed, and there seemed to be an inordinate number of cranky people around. My brother (who went with me) said, "I have a feeling it's going to be one of those days...."

People blowing through the roundabouts and cutting others off like the bold "yield" warning on the pavement had been erased. Others punching the accelerator to make it through the yellow light at intersections. Cutting others off, when perhaps on another day, they might have taken their foot off the gas and given someone an opening. A line of cars, stretching from Bakerview all the way to Bennett Road. Parking lots packed and the stores crowded with masses of complete strangers, shoulder to shoulder, each "safe" inside his/her insulated little world. Frowning. Yessir, I took an inventory. A lot of frowning and furrowed brows out there.

But maybe it's always that way. I'll have to do a post-Xmas comparison.

I'm glad I've backed off from this sort of thing, this"surfing the fray," for the most part. Because anyone who's out in that on a daily basis...well, I can understand why y'all feel like crap at Christmastime.

Not that I endorse simulated cheer*. But there's an old Vietnamese saying: "Ornament is for joy." Why are you doing it, if there's no joy in it? But more importantly, what is life for, if not to enjoy?

One thing is certain: I'll not go near a retail establishment, save maybe Starbucks for a cup of coffee, from now until Christmas is over. It's a jungle out there.

P.S. - You erratic drivers - take a chill pill. You're a danger to yourself and others.

*Actually, I do endorse simulated cheer, for its therapeutic value, but not when it's employed simply as a "veneer."

"Old Man Winter," a Poem

Old Man Winter is coming in,
Wearing a cloak of darkling days, and
Clear, hard-frosted nights, when
Legions of stars shine cold and bright.

The North Wind will blow, with a scent of snow,
Under a steel-gray sky, then the snow will fall,
Down below, and up on high, and
All the birds will fly, for warmer climes.

And making rhymes, before the fire,
You will find me here, in Winter's grasp, as
Autumn makes its last gasp, and the last
Brown leaf flies past the windowpane.

- Rod Brock, 2006

"Make a Flake," online

Here's a fun little online flash utility, for making a digital snowflake. The program folds it for you, and you cut it out with digital scissors. It may take a few trys to get the hang of it, but "undo" and "start over" buttons are provided. Kids will really enjoy this.

http://snowflakes.lookandfeel.com/

After creating and saving your flake, you have the option of saving it in .JPG format, or as an .EPS file (opens in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator), for further editing. You may also e-mail it to a friend directly from the website.

Don't forget to view the gallery! There are literally thousands of snowflakes there, and they are all downloadable.

Here are two I just created (click on thumbnails to enlarge):

Simplification Reminder: It's about experiences

Ultimately, Christmas isn't about what you buy, or what you get, in material terms. A lot of people believe otherwise, but the fact of the matter is that ten, or twenty, or fifty years down the road, the memories will be what stand out, and even the gifts that remain in your possession will be intimately tied to those memories. The same is true for the people who receive gifts from you.

It's about experiences, and you have a part in the shaping of those experiences. Good experiences make for good memories; bad experiences leave a sour taste in our mouth on New Year's Day (a New Year's hangover may add to that, as well).

It's hard to have good experiences when you're stressed out to the max, isn't it? So, I ask you: is this going to be another Christmas where you follow the same pattern you always have, suffer the same anxieties, and maybe pick up a bit of good cheer on the luck of the draw?

Try simplifying, and enjoying the holidays. Make it about experiences, and not about "stuff." You have nothing to lose but a big credit card bill, a big headache, and maybe even a heartache.

On Christmas Eve, we gathered, merrily.
Father offered a prayer to whatsoever powers that be.
Then we ate the fare,
'Twas a toast of wine,
And after dinner I dreamed of
Far places and things divine,
I'd love to see,
In a storybook under the Christmas tree.

On Christmas Day, I was up before the dawn.
Seeing what that happy supernatural man
Had brought me, from the Great Beyond.
It was many years ago, and very far to see,
Brother, sister, and me, in a
Storybook under the Christmas tree
I'd love to be.

- R. Dean Brock, "Christmas Storybook"