By the time I hit the road at 6:55 am, I have been awake for 75 minutes, meditated, taken a shower, dried and dressed, read my email, and tidied up downstairs. Part of my routine, when it is not too wet, is to take a lap around the Circle of the 49 houses in my neighborhood, just sneaking in a few steps on my way to the mailbox to get the newspaper. These days it is just before sunrise and all is quiet except for the traffic noises from Hwy. 3. Lights can be seen inside a few of the houses, but most are dark. This week I find more Christmas lights on outside--trees with twinkle lights and stars, eaves with icicles, garages with blinking, colorful projections. Lights are nice, homey, cheerful, but I am disturbed by the ever-expanding graveyard of deflated Santas and snowmen, elves and reindeer that now litter quite a few lawns. Except for the holiday decoration overachiever (there’s always one), few of my neighbors have displayed these blow-up ornaments before this year. Maybe it’s COVID causing them to seek out fake holiday cheer? They can’t bring in their own visitors, so they have to populate their properties with plastic people, and party props? Call me snooty, but I for one, am not buying it. Not buying anything plastic and pumpable to place on the porch. Instead, I will call out greetings in the dark as I pass, wishing all a good morning and a happy Christmas.

Blessings,

Selene Patterson