It hasn't snowed in Vegas yet. It snows every year. At least once. Hasn't happened yet. I hope it snows soon. On the other hand, I would be sad to see it snow on Christmas here, as I will be in Utah that day. Las Vegans deserve a white Christmas, but not if I'm out of town.
This month has been pretty blue for me...I have this Christmas playlist on my Spotify, and I discovered songs like "I'll Be Home For Christmas" and "Blue Christmas" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" were actually starting to depress me. They make me think about Christmases past. (Remember what happened when Ebeneezer Scrooge reflected on Christmases past?) So, I deleted them from my playlist. Now all I listen to is Michael Buble's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" and Frank Sinatra's "Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!". Happy times.
Yesterday I helped a neighbor hand out homemade muffins and hot chocolate to the homeless. We drove around downtown Las Vegas in his truck, and stopped when we found small groups of people who looked somewhat downtrodden. I would hail them, offering them hot chocolate and muffins, while Matt lowered the tailgate and mixed the hot cho; most were grateful and accepted, a few politely refused.
Early on in our mission, I felt somewhat disgusted with myself. Just the night before, I had visited the mall shopping for shoes. Shoes that cost more than $100. I didn't buy them, but after seeing these people, it made me wonder how I could justify spending so much money on something that, in the grand scheme of things....well, I don't know. Do shoes matter? They were running shoes, and the purpose would be to train for a marathon. But, in the face of people who are living in tents and who wake up worried where their next meal is coming from, that one pair of shoes could buy them two weeks of food...or could it?
It's Christmastime, everyone, and you probably know this, but it's the season wherein people traditionally try to overcome their selfishness and give to others. At least that is what I typically try to do every year. This year I have failed miserably. There are only 7 days until the big day, and all I have managed to do is hand out some muffins and hot cho on a Saturday, and torture a couple of neighbors with my rendition of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" as I delivered a Christmas treat to share with their families before they left for the holiday. (It was torture because I actually sang the entire first verse solo while they stood awkwardly in the doorway wondering if I was actually going to sing the entire first verse solo.)
On a different note, I have been cleaning my house. I am getting rid of things I haven't used in the past year. It's difficult for me to let go of certain things. Like Charles Dickens, I equate owning books with wealth. And so, as I prepare to donate books I have finally admitted I will probably never read again--I have a library card, and anyway, if I really want to read them again, I can probably find them free online--I find myself feeling as though I am giving up some of my wealth. Wealth of knowledge? Perhaps, although some of these books I would not consider rich with knowledge and I certainly would not recommend them to anyone to read. Take Sophia Lee's The Recess. Not even worth summarizing here. I own several other volumes that might serve better the shelves of a used bookstore, or a thrift store. Farewell old friends.
So, I face my first week of holiday vacation with a resolve to cleanse my life of those things taking up space but not contributing to my overall progression. Does that mean cleansing my life of free time and down time? Dangit...I had better get to scheduling the next two weeks.
And that's my week before Christmas in a Nutshell,
Hop
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