Director's Corner
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At a recent Friend’s meeting a board member politely informed me that the Director’s Corner hadn’t been updated since August and suggested I craft a holiday message. I immediately thought about re-posting the last column that was posted before August which was the holiday greeting from last year! Although that would be quick and easy and still relevant, I owe it to the visitors and members of RSVP to keep this fresh and informative so even before the New Year starts I have resolved to update the Director’s Corner more frequently in 2011 (so you will see at least 3 new postings). |
I’m not sure why but the older I get the quicker time seems to pass. I remember being a kid and couldn’t wait until Christmas. It was like Black Friday meant we started the countdown with a WHOLE MONTH to go. December 1, an agonizingly long week later, was the first milestone as we turned the page on November and had clear site of the BIG date. The holiday parties did nothing to expedite the 25th and only added extra excitement (not to mention sugar) in to the waiting. Wait, wait, wait, then came school vacation, Whew we made it to the break and now we could focus on Christmas uninterrupted by trivial school work. I remember being in 1st grade and going to Boston to see all the lights, we were going to Washington Street to view all the window displays in the department stores. I remember trying to count the lighted floors in the Prudential tower with my mother and my father getting upset saying we looked liked tourists (as kids we didn’t get out of the Worcester area much so we pretty much were tourists even though my dad’s office was in Boston at the time so he wasn’t). Forever long were the last few days before Christmas and the beginning of the festivities. The closer it got the slower time dragged on Christmas Eve. We had chores to do during the day, picking up and cleaning the house, helping my mom get foods ready, cleaning up and getting dressed, finally my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would start to arrive (or we would load up the car to go to their house). Christmas Eve was always a traditional Italian meal with homemade ravioli, calamari, and the fixings. We did not go as far (usually) as the traditional meal of 7 fishes but it was quite a belly packer.
I got thinking of being a kid and how long everything takes the other day when I realized it was already December and how I wished time would slow down. There is less than a month, then only 3 weeks, only 1 more weekend… where did the time go?
In the end, we still sit down to a nice Italian dinner on Christmas Eve, the kids and I make the ravioli, my mom still makes her sauce and siblings share in the rest of the holiday prep. For a few hours it does slow down as we continue traditions started by my parents but have modified to include the next generation. I as much as I still enjoy the lights and church pageantry, I find the best part of Christmas is not the food or the gifts but just taking that time-out for a day and letting things slow down.
So whether you are continuing some of your holiday traditions, modifying ones that have been passed down or starting new ones, I hope you have a slow and peaceful holiday.