Wiregrass Seniors Magazine December 2017 DECEMBER ISSUE | Page 24

Page 24

An " Over Time ... Christmas

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I ' ve found that time has a way of getting away from me , the older I get .
It seems like only yesterday I carefully packed away the Christmas ornaments and decorations , the outside wreaths , and swept up the last of the pine needles . Is it just me , or do you feel it , too ? I ' ve only just turned the calendar page to December and yesterday I saw Santa Claus in front of the grocery , houses with outdoor Christmas lights ... and Robert and I still have pumpkin pie from Thanksgiving in our fridge .
I don ' t know . These last few years , the Christmas season seems to arrive on , or about , the day after Halloween .
It ' s almost scary how the malls put up their Christmas lights and decorations increasingly early to entice us , knowing full well our propensity for holiday nostalgia and overindulgence . The stores all order abundantly , striving for hefty holiday sales -- and an even heftier bottom line at year ’ s end .
It ' s sad that Christmas has become such an “ over ” time . We over-spend , over-eat , over-party , and end up trying to fit God -- the reason there IS Christmas -- in between over-abundant holiday schedules and over-long gift lists .
Seems the only thing we don ’ t overdo is helping the less fortunate by dropping a few extra coins in the bucket when we see Santa ’ s helpers ringing bells around town .
Please don ’ t misunderstand . Anyone who knows me , knows Christmas is my favorite time of year . I get all swept up in the nostalgia and the warm and fuzzies -- I just can ’ t help myself .
Every year , I watch the classic Christmas movies . I cry as I watch The Gathering . I laugh ( until I cry ) at Chevy Chase in National Lampoon ’ s Christmas Vacation . We all love Jimmy Stewart in It ‘ s a Wonderful Life , and Christmas just wouldn ’ t be complete without Irving Berlin ’ s White Christmas .
However , this year , I vow to try even harder to remember and celebrate Christmas for it ’ s true meaning .
I ’ m going to focus my ‘ over ’ time on the people I care most about , those who care most about me , and those who have never had a visit from Santa Claus .
Oh , and the only bottom line I ’ m going to be concerned with is the one I sit on ... and I sure as heck don ’ t want that one to get any bigger ... CJHeck http :// cjswriterthoughts . blogspot . com

That ’ s the Spirit

A father has filled his house with a giant 35ft Christmas tree cut from the New Forest in Southern England after his wife was disappointed with last year ' s decorations .
At first glance it looks as if the massive tree has burst straight through the roof of the six-bedroom house . Greg Howe has painstakingly cut the $ 375 . tree into three sections with the huge trunk in the living room , the middle section in a spare bedroom and the top perched on a flat part of the roof . Greg enlisted the help of several friends to get the star on top of the huge tree at his home .
This funny looking Yule tree is decorated with some 160 ornaments and over 2000 led lights .

Ethel and Earl Ethel goes to answer a knock at the door one afternoon only to find two deputy ’ s there .

“ Ma ’ am , are you married ?” One deputy asked . “ Why yes ,” Ethel replied “ for 38 years .”
“ Do you have a photograph of your husband ?” the second deputy questioned . Ethel pulled a picture off the wall and handed it to the officers .
They looked it over and handed it back to her and said , “ I am sorry ma ’ am , but it looks like your husband has been hit by a truck .”
Ethel says , “ I know son , but he ’ s an honest man who works real hard .”