Happy Melancholy

....it's a bright yet gloomy time of year....

 

The holidays are here. 

Thanksgiving came and went and left a few pounds. 

I turned another year older. 

And while the store I work in has been decorated for Christmas

 since the middle of October,

I have had to push myself to get our house decorated the last couple of weeks.  

And now the tree is up and decorated but of course,

about a week later, the lights in the top quarter of it went out. 

 

 Of course. 

 

The holiday melancholy set in. 

 

Right on schedule. 

 

I fight it. 

 

Do you fight it?

 

Is it just me?

 

I will get through it.

 

 Maybe it's the hot, humid days while "Let It Snow" is playing.
 

  Maybe it's the bare and naked trees and the lawns covered in old brown leaves. 

 Even nature looks messy and sad.
 

Maybe it's the alignment of the sun changing the shadows in my house.
 

It could be my kids grew up while I was doing the dishes...

and this is the time of year that hits me in the face.
 

Or maybe it's my soul being nudged to really, really remember

what this time of year is all about. 

It's not about the tree being decorated.

 

It's not about the parties.

 (Do we really need another Ornament Exchange on our calendars?)

It's not about shopping for the perfect gift.
(Although I work in a gift store and
spend my days helping others find that perfect gift.)

 

When I decided to title this post Happy Melancholy

...it was a play on words and emotions. 

 

But the word holy jumped off the screen at me. 

Do you see it?


It is exactly what I needed to "see" today.

A great reminder to me...and maybe to you, too.

 

 

 

 

 

                                                          ~~ ... ~~


On another note......I met someone yesterday that I feel like I've known for a few years now.  She's one of my favorite design bloggers and I have her on the sidelines here so hopefully you've seen her blog, too.   I read her daily and this makes me feel like she's in my world.  I was working at the gift shop and she walked in and I knew her.  But I've never met her.  Thank you Internet.

I said,  "You're Holly aren't you?"   She replied, "Yes."  I said, "I read your blog...I love it...may I hug you?"  (a little creepy now that I think about it but I felt a little star struck and like she was an old friend all at the same time)  She said, "Yes"...and then thanked me for the hug and said she needed that. 

Okay, and I may have even written down my blog address and handed it to her a few minutes later.  We discussed being cursed with the love of decorating and beautiful things while living on a dime....knowing we are married to wonderful providers and handsome men but having clients that never even have to look at the price tag.  She knocked a tray over (because we have squeezed in a million Christmas items on top of an already fully packed store) and I laughed with her because knocking stuff over happens to me daily in that place.  In fact, my name is called out whenever there is a crash noise. I always claim the aisles are too narrow because surely I'm not too wide.

And then I became her new best friend for the next 20 minutes.  And here's what you need to know about her.  She is the real deal.  So real.  And talented and kind and funny and pretty.  Did I mention real?

I think we read others' blogs and see the cleaned up act and think they have it all.  And yes, they do have it all...just not all at the same time. It's not always clean and photo shopped and dinner isn't always served on time and eaten at the table. And there is probably a load of laundry in the dryer from 4 days ago. 

As Holly said as she was purchasing The Barefoot Contessa cookbook..."maybe I will cook more" and then told us no matter what she cooks, her 3 year old only wants a cheese quesadilla. 

See what I mean?  Real.

I love her.  And Holly, if you read this...let's do lunch.

And if you haven't read her blog...you're in for a treat.