You wish me a Merry Christmas....

.....and a happy two ears!!
     -- Flubbed Christmas carol lyrics courtesy of Wyatt.


It's that time of year - decked halls, holiday cheer, frantic shoppers and the fireplace channel,  the channel on TV that shows nothing but a constantly roaring fire in the fireplace, with a flannel-clad man that occasionally comes to stoke it. I noticed it's now available on DVD so it can be enjoyed year round.

The stress in the air is almost palpable this time of year. It's this huge build up to Christmas, starting just shortly after the Halloween decorations come down. A collective buzz of energy, excitement and anticipation that builds and builds. People are rushing here and there, on the hunt for that final perfect gift, jockeying for parking spaces. Traffic is bad, check out lines are long and the "to do" lists seem never ending.

Wyatt's teacher told me that as soon as the Christmas decorations go up, the behaviour in the room begins to deteriorate. Even kids feel it. I've heard it referred to as "the Decembers". Everyone is mentally shutting down - both at school and work. We're just coasting through now until Christmas break.

This past weekend, I was at Toys r Us with Wyatt (buying a car seat, not toys) and I was amazed at all the people with heaping carts filled with toys. Were they shopping for 10 kids or 2? It was hard to say. I couldn't help but wonder how long it would take the kids to open them all and if their gratitude would do justice to the amount of time their parents/grandparents spent picking them out.

Our kids will each get a couple of small gifts, and a few goodies in their stockings and that's it. The fact that we have to be able to haul it on the plane helps keep it in check. Still, I have never gone overboard at Christmastime. I just don't see the point. There's nothing we really need and don't we lose the true meaning of Christmas anyway with all the over-commercialization?

I know it's easy to talk a big game now that they're young and don't know anything else. It may be a little harder once they are faced with peer pressure and the desire to keep up. I try to remain calm in the season and just enjoy. Many years ago we stopped exchanging gifts among family and it was the most freeing thing ever. Dayven and I don't even exchange. We usually talk about something we might want and buy it as our gift together. One year we bought our Mac. Another year we bought cowboy boots. This year I would really love a nice espresso machine to get me through the winter, but I'm holding out for the Boxing Day sales.

On December 25, I'll be spending a relaxing day with the people I love, which is the most important thing of all. In a little over a week, we'll be cruising the island in our golf cart, wearing flip flops, eating fresh seafood and celebrating Christmas Cedar Key-style!

"Santa Clam" comes by boat in Cedar Key and wears red waders. He docks at the city beach to greet the kids.