Let the Decorating Begin!

Black Friday has come and gone, no I did not participate.  A shopper, I am not!  Usually my shopping is limited to only when I absolutely need something.  Yes, I will shop at Christmas for my family, only after my thought process is complete.  I do not buy gifts just for the sake of buying a gift...it is with thought and much contemplation on my part.  Once I have it straight in my mind, I will venture out....seeking the Holy Grail, so to speak!  Buying online is designated "last resort".  I like to see what I am purchasing.  Yet I find such comfort and delight in the holiday season.  Decorating, although not as extensive as the Fred's News years, is all part of the holiday fun.  Seeing ornaments with special meaning only adds to that joy.  I have Christmas ornaments from Matthew and Mark's first Christmas, ornaments my parents bought each year after I left home, Fred the Dog's own ornaments, slightly dilapidated ornaments all the boys made in school, ornaments given to us by patrons of Fred's News, all overflowing with memories much like a cherished diary.

The only "Black Friday" I ever enjoyed were the Fridays after Thanksgiving at Fred's News.  Much like a traditional Black Friday, Fred's News would be packed wall to wall with Guests.  Many returning to the area to visit family, stopping by to say hello, grab a meal or a chance meeting with old friends. ...always enjoying their stories as well as their return.  Yes, the Egg-Nazi jokes, "it is the beginning of the eating season", but it truly is a joyful season as well.

Yesterday, I volunteered to help decorate our community for Christmas, a last minute schedule change at work meant a last minute schedule change for Mr. Bill.  He helped decorate the community, something he has done three years in a row.  I volunteer, he does the work....I don't have a problem with that, besides he is one of the "younger able bodied males", the older women just love him!!!  Usually, we will put out loads of lights, although maybe not this year.  Mr. Bill, not sure how he is going to feel after treatment begins, I am not into taking them down and packing them away.  Much like a chef, I love the preparation and presentation,  just not the cleanup.  I will decorate the interior, that's where it ends, even then bitching..."What the hell was I thinking."