Mrs. Teabody Plans NEXT Christmas!

Christmas tree 2015

"A failure to plan is a plan to fail."

Christmas Season 2015 Reflections: Mrs. Teabody must begin by saying the following advice is not for everyone--just those of you who can no longer count on your memory and/or the spontaneity of friends to carry you through the wonderful season between Thanksgiving and Epiphany with all your dreams of "making merry" with friends and family fulfilled. With Thanksgiving coming so late in November and with Christmas falling on a Friday this year, there was one less weekend-- the time when folks generally schedule parties and other get togethers.

 "It all went so fast. Before I knew it Christmas was past and I hadn't done ANYTHING," was a recent lament voiced over a cuppa “Fulton County Christmas” just last week at Tickle Your Fancy, Mrs. Teabody's little gifts and tea emporium. For those of you still stinging over the lack of conviviality during the season, Mrs. Teabody offers some hope through this simple recommendation: before you forget exactly what happened this year, write it down. 

Did Uncle Harry throw a hissy fit when you re-gifted him the chocolate-covered vinegar beets he'd given you the year before? Did Aunt Blanche fall into a swoon because you forgot her pasta allergy and had the audacity to put noodles in the lasagna? Does your niece's new, horse-loving boyfriend need to be reminded that as much as you ADORE horsies, bringing clumps of manure along with his Frey boots onto your priceless Persian is ill advised?

Identify pitfalls beforehand and be prepared.

 What went well with the hard-to-please peeps and what great gifts did you see that brought smiles to the faces of others? What dishes did you make/take and, most importantly, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE about any of your holiday planning?

"No one even saw our tree," was another lament Mrs. Teabody heard more than once. With whom does the fault lie if your drawing room isn't chockablock with visitors admiring your festive tree during the season? When was the last time you just “dropped in” at the home of a favored friend? The answer, of course, is “Never.” One doesn't just drop in on anyone except the closest of friends and family these days and rightly so. Who wants to encounter anyone else dripping from a shower or up to their eyeballs in cranberry chutney, still pajama clad at four in the afternoon? Embarrassing to say the least.  Get out your calendar now and count the weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Make a list of the folks with whom you want to share your home--and your tree. Visits need be announced, arranged, scheduled, confirmed and carried through. The season is a busy, busy one and calendars get filled up early.

Mrs. Teabody likes a physical paper calendar for her planning and such calendars are still being given out at various business establishments. Get yours and fill in the obligatory as well as the cannot miss events: family celebrations, church services, concerts.  Find that target date or dates when a get together—or several!-- is possible. How else will you guarantee time with the friends whose company never gets old, the friends you see too little of? Make your house festive and then open it up to visitors. There's nothing wrong with a simple soup/chile and wine supper and some sort of around-a-table activity, but it will have to be SCHEDULED  and those whose company you desire must be invited.

If you aren't neurotic and/or territorial about how your tree looks (Yes, I know who you are), you could host a tree decorating party for that matter. Working friends might enjoy a Tuesday evening, right-after-work gathering or a Sunday afternoon when football watching—Mon Dieu! -- dominates all other plans. Put out the ingredients for some Christmassy libation like White Russians or pop a couple bottles of  bubbly and serve up some crostini with delicious toppings and you have a party.   Motivate yourself and give your plans a timeline by scheduling get togethers. Then follow through.


Last but certainly not least, don't neglect your spiritual needs. Nothing wakens Mrs. Teabody's Christmas spirit as satisfactorily as the Christmas concert by the Mercersburg Community Chorus but your own local cantata or program may fill you up in the same way. The wonderful thing about the internet is you can YouTube any carol you choose and sing right along at the top of your lungs if you want to-- lyrics provided. Just singing those familiar songs/carols will remind you of all past Christmases and the joy they brought to you. By all means, sing or listen to music and let your heart open. Attend a Christmas Eve service or take a quiet walk around your town and look at lights and reflect on the blessings of the past year. 

Through this planning and awareness of passing time,  this participation in rituals and traditions that serve up the memories of your long and blessed life, this widening of your circle of generosity, and this recognition that another Christmas will follow twelve months from now, God willing, you may meet this most wonderful time of the year next year with a plan in place and your tree will be seen. And enjoyed.

 Just one last thing: around Thanksgiving go into the woods with your garden snips and get some fragrant pine. Stick some stems in a vase or water glass and keep them watered  so that the scent fills your house. This pine fragrance is a powerful incantation to reverie, to remembrance, to that place inside you that not only wants to recapture some childhood magic but also needs it. Desperately some times. Ta for now!