Tis the Season

Well it begins this week whether it has to do with travel to spend time with loved ones or staying home.

I have had years where I hit the friendly skies either at Thanksgiving or Christmas. It certainly is the busiest time of the year for this. My holidays were visiting my sister or brother in Quebec, Canada or Minnesota or St. Louis, Missouri. All three places are nice to visit during the holiday season. Of course the purpose is to see family especially my niece and nephews. Everyone is all grown up now so it is a bit difference.

I remember as a child at the dinner table at Thanksgiving. Actually we had a small table for us kids and you graduated to the big table when you reached junior high. We would play scrabble with my dad’s business partner’s mother. She was very good at scrabble and we couldn’t believe the words she came up with. Probably learned as much from her about the English language as well we did in school. Our cousins from Seattle would come for Thanksgiving and we would return the favor at Christmas. It was very special when going to the big city of Seattle. They enjoyed coming to Gig Harbor as well. In fact they were probably the only ones in Seattle that knew about Gig Harbor.

When I was a senior in high school my sister got married so we would spend Christmas at her in-laws who lived in Lakewood Washington which is a suburb of nearby Tacoma. In fact McChord Air Force Base and Fort Lewis are right by Lakewood. Her in-laws would spend Thanksgiving at our place. This lasted for a while until they passed away, my sister and family moved to Quebec. A lot of good memories during that period of life too; although I still enjoy the holidays it isn’t quite the same as those days.

I am sure everyone has stories of the holiday season regardless of religious preference. Here in the Pacific Northwest it is raining season now. I was talking Sunday with a woman I know who told me that she grew up in Montana where there is four seasons and had to do the adjustment coming here for less seasons. I was a bit surprised by what she said because I felt we have four seasons in the Pacific Northwest or at least 3 and a half. She said we have the summer and then the raining season. Well she is correct to some degree. I guess it depends what you are used to. I feel we have spring and fall besides summer. Winter hasn’t been what I consider what winter should be other than a lot of rain and colder weather. We had a lot more snow when I was a kid and now you have to go up to the mountains to enjoy. When we get snow it is maybe a couple inches and it lasts a day or two at the most. These days six inches seems like a lot and many people don’t know how to drive in the snow. They don’t know to drive in the rain either in my opinion.

So now it is time to enjoy the season in whatever manner you do. Enjoy your travels if you do or spending time at home. I try to stay away from black Friday when so many are out getting the good buys.  Whatever the weather is where you are at enjoy that to. So whether you are jolly or not tis the season.