Tales of a coffee-holic: The best season

Now, we’re right in the midst of the most festive part of the holiday season. Although Christmas is behind us and New Year’s Eve is ahead I’m sure most of our celebrations don’t take place exclusively on those two days. I enjoy spending time with family during this season as much as anyone, though I don’t think I’ll ever understand sitting one’s small child on a bearded stranger’s lap for a photo op.

Even though none of my kin are particularly religious, Christmas is a big deal for my mother’s family. My grandma owns an army of festive holiday sweaters, including ones with working lights and bells. I don’t care what anyone says about tacky Christmas sweaters, she’s adorable in them. She also has a large amount of holiday themed earrings to go with her other Christmas garb. She takes Christmas festiveness pretty seriously.

There are two trees, a small one and a big one and outside lights as well. Grandma also encourages others to decorate their homes. She has a special tradition of giving each of the grandkids an ornament every year for Christmas so they have some for their own tree when they grow up.

I guess grandma always figured that I’d be a little more successful and that I wouldn’t be living in a miniscule studio apartment at 26. I’ve now acquired much too many ornaments for the tiny fiber optic tree I purchased at Wal-Mart. I had to do some furniture wrangling to even make it fit and I’m still a little worried I’ll knock it over when going for a drink of water in the middle of the night. I had to carefully choose my favorite ornaments to cover the small space allowed on the tree and had to forget a topper all together since an angel of any weight would surely topple it.

I also had to leave out any heavy ceramic bobbles. I tried hanging them strategically, one side at a time for balance, but my little tree just couldn’t take the weight.

Although I’d like to hang all my ornaments (they have a very high sentimental value) I’m happy I have a place for some of them and I kind of enjoy the cheesy changing lights of my cheap tree. I guess the important thing is getting in the Christmas spirit.

I’m just very thankful that this year, for the first time in four years I was able to spend Christmas with my family in Indiana. While I was more than ready for some time off, the real payoff was how happy it made my family. With that in mind, I think we should all take time to consider those who don’t have the privilege of taking a break during the holidays. Law enforcement, hospital workers, caregivers and emergency personnel don’t get the luxury of time off for Christmas.

Crime doesn’t stop for anything and neither do accidents.

Although families might want to spend the holidays with elderly family members or those with other disabilities, they’re probably not capable of caring for those people for long periods of time or at all in some cases.

So while you finish up with your holiday revelry this weekend and into the next week, thank those in your life who don’t get to properly celebrate like the rest of us. Be understanding of those who aren’t as excited about the holiday because they have to spend it away from loved ones. Think about planning something special for someone you know who’ll be caring for others and keeping our town safe so we can celebrate in comfort. Perhaps stage a fake domestic disturbance and then have cookies waiting for the responding officers (just kidding).