"Holiday Nesting"

            Conversations in my house shift from topic to topic at lightning speed. Often, I catch myself thinking, “Oh, I need to blog about that!” or “This will make a wonderful posting!” Yesterday, a chat with my son led us into the minds of women and holiday decorations. You see, he’s of the opinion that men wouldn’t miss spider webs strategically spun by the bushes out front or placemats that change with the passing of each season. He theorizes that men don’t care if wreaths adorn the front doors or if snowmen dance with penguins across the table top.
 

            And so I thought, “Is he right?”

            If I didn’t haul out the Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter decorations, would those celebrations go by unnoticed by my husband and son? Am I the driving force behind special meals and activities for the holidays?

            I have many women friends rejoicing in “All That Is Christmas.” They started shopping for gifts weeks ago, and report everything’s tidily wrapped and hidden away. Others set out to enjoy marathon holiday movies by recording every sappy Christmas movie on Hallmark. One friend spends day after day decorating every room in her house with different Christmas themes, and another places trees in almost every room. She spends hours and hours decorating each one.
 

 

            The tête-à-tête with my son brought home the importance of home for many of us. We long to adorn our trees and arrange them by a window to share with our neighbors and friends. We trim and garnish, embellish and festoon our homes inside and out. Indeed, we delight in holiday nesting.

 

 Copyright 2013 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman