Christmas time is here again

It’s the 4th of December.

My little swath of the Midwest is dealing with some wintry wonderland weather. We had a snowstorm that dumped more than a half foot of snow on us this past weekend and today the wind chill is below zero degrees Fahrenheit. It looks like Christmas outside. Inside, the tree is up, the lights are decorating the inside of the windows , the stocking are hung on their stand by the woodstove we don’t use and the garlands are up.

It took a bit of mental power to get that done, because while this time of year is supposed to feel all holly and jolly, I am struggling a bit. My full time job is always busy around this time of year, which usually drains me, but this year I haven’t allowed time for rest and recuperation. The other half had been unemployed since September when the company he worked for had to lay off a number of each team. We couldn’t make long term plans for the holidays or even shopping because of the unknown variables of job hunting. Add to that some hiccups with home care…. our basement drain clogged and overflowed and we had a moment of panic with the furnace right before this big cold snap… that took some of our nest egg to fix. Our cars are older and need maintaining, which means fewer funds for Christmas presents. There’s also the added pressures of family members out of state wishing we’d come for visits we can’t afford financially or mentally. It adds up every year, but this year just seems to be worse.

To top it off, because of the snowstorm and the now freezing cold, I haven’t been able to get outside as much. Even though there is that Norwegian adage that there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing, my connective tissue disorder will tell you that the cold weather exacerbates issues I already have that no amount of warm clothing will fix (and my limited closet space only allows for so much of the thicker stuff!)

But things are looking up. The drain was unclogged with minimal fuss. The furnace just needed a cleaning. The cars still run. The other half starts new employment in a week and a half. And our Christmas lists are minimal this year. Gifts for others will be handmade as I can get to them. Family members have been given boundaries. We won’t be going all out this year and that is just fine.

Even the weather seems to be changing a bit for the better. My days off this weekend look to be warmer and better than the week’s weather, which means I’ll be able to get some small hikes outside. Perhaps some caches will be found with some of that warmer clothing.

And I have been writing more, even as I haven’t been making blog posts. Stories are starting to flow in the darkness of the early winter evenings, especially the latest stories in my Portals Series. Taylor’s story is being finished. Earvin’s tale is starting to be edited. Poe will make her debut as a very short story on this blog in a few weeks. And while I haven’t had any book sales in a while, that’s fine. My stories are coming together. I might even give some more eBooks away this year to celebrate the holidays.

Even in this bleak period of shortening days and lengthening nights, I am finding ways to be magical. I am finding the joy, peace, hope, love and light of this holiday season. It’s just a bit subdued this year. But that’s okay. Christmas time is here again…. and it looks a bit different

Stay magical, friends.

Write your own story.

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