Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Keeping the Yuletide Spirit

I must confess that this year I am having trouble getting into the Yuletide spirit. My brother has had the same problem. A mutual friend who is our age theorised that perhaps it is because we are older. I am not so sure about that myself, but I do know that the Yuletide spirit can often be hard to come by even in the best of times.

Indeed, the Yuletide spirit can be unpredictable and can come at the most unexpected times. That was the case with two instances in which I felt it. The first instance I was lying on the floor of the living room, wrapped up in a sleeping bag. It had just gotten dark, so the living room lights were still off. The only light came from the television set (on which was playing The Beverly Hillbillies) and the lights of our Christmas tree. I guess the security the sleeping bag in the living room gave me, as well as the multi-coloured lights on the tree, helped in making it really feel like the Yuletide. The second instance occurred when I was a young adult. My brother and I were visiting a friend who lived just outside the business district of his town. We decided to walk from his apartment to downtown, which was only a matter of yards. Downtown was all lit up with Christmas lights and holiday songs played from many of the shops. As we walked a slight snow began. I rather suspect even the Grinch or Ebeneezer Scrooge would have gotten the Yuletide spirit between the lights, the music, and the snow.

Regardless, I am hoping I will get the Yuletide spirit soon this year. I believe that I am getting close. Yesterday and today I took photos of the holiday finery in town, and that has helped a good deal. If you're having trouble getting in the holiday mood as I am, then I hope that maybe these pictures will help.

This is part of our downtown, decorated in preparation for this Saturday's holiday celebration.

More of our downtown. The building on the far right of the picture is the Historical Society Museum, of which I am President. 

The door to the museum, with its Yuletide wreath.

One of the museum's window displays. I took a photo of our other window display, but sadly it turned out rather poorly.

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