The Door to December 10th: Decorating Traditions 

Dear Hall Deckers,

Decorating our home for the holiday season is one of the better traditions my family follows. It is with great anticipation that we pounce upon our decoration hoard each and every year. Sometimes we use all of the decorations, sometimes we don’t. We often hit up the dollar store to see what new glittered trinkets are available to add to our growing collection. As the kids get older, they have more input in the direction in which we go, and their ideas show great originality and a sense of adding greatly to the overall effect. The time we spend together while decorating is enjoyable even if there is a slight bicker here or there. In the end, we get to enjoy the fruits of our labors and spend time in the Christmas Island we’ve created.

Please see the post below that I shared a few years back. It centers on my father and his efforts to bring magic into this world during our favorite time of year. I hope that when my children are grown and they create their own holiday traditions, that pieces of our time together adorn their homes.

CPH

Open…

“Decorating for a Winter Wonderland”

My Father was the architect of our Holiday Esthetic. The most joy I get from Christmas, comes from decking the halls with my family. This is due to the legacy and sincerity of a highly creative man, that did his best with what we had.

We grew up not knowing we were poor. We weren’t as bad off as some, but we shared some hard times. Over the course of my childhood, my father got laid off from work a couple of times, and my mother didn’t work until the mid to late 80’s. If not for family support and friends, we could have gone another way.

My parents worked hard and gave their all to us. Christmas was a time we appreciated the pleasures of life from good food to good company, and even gifts. It may be a little-known fact that my dad put in eight-hour days, then would go to the Sears Roebuck Fulfillment Center and work the evening into night filling orders for the people who ordered things from the Sears Wish Catalogues. We made many wishes over those pages, and most of them came true for us.

I wonder now what was going through his mind then, as he walked up Boylston Street past the Ramrod, WBCN Studios, and Fenway Park to report to the Landmark Center area to report for duty. It must have been hard doing that. I get tired just doing seven-hour days. Most nights and weekends I’m exhausted, but somehow all those years ago my dad found the energy to come home and become an Alchemist, turning our ordinary apartment into a Golden Winter Wonderland.

My father had a wonderful eye and had trained in drafting and architecture. He chose to defer his architectural dreams, when I came along. Despite having shelved that piece of himself, it never really left him.

He could scheme, get materials, craft them into hundreds of parts, and then assemble them together to carry out his vision. A lot of folks that knew my dad may have underestimated his ability. Where they might have seen aloofness in certain instances, it was actually calculated concentration and patience. He could stare at something for hours on end finding the esthetic he wanted to bring out of the object. For the entirety of my life, he assisted me in every school project, and any endeavor I asked for help in, which was a lot. But my point is simply that we failed to recognize a dormant talent, that was smothered by the vagaries of daily life. That was of course, excepting Christmas. Christmas presented an opportunity for him to showcase all the things that made him tick.

In the above photo you will notice the walls were covered in aluminum foil. This was done to enhance the lighting effect of the Christmas Tree in our living room, as well as add a level of depth to our small apartment. He gave us the gift of another world in which we could dream our Christmas Dreams. Stuffing orders at night for Sears, and then coming home and using an Exacto knife to cut out cardboard snowflakes, use a glitter glue pen to decorate them, and then affix a paperclip to a hole on one end and hang it from the suspended ceiling.

The run-up to Christmas was full of anticipation and excitement not only for what we hoped we might get from Santa, but because there was always a proper theater ready for his arrival, in which Santa could ply his trade when he opened his sack.

We were lucky to live such childhoods, and to have such parents.

As I grew older, my father would shift some responsibility to us and allow us to do certain aspects of the decorating. We would excel at some things and not do so well in others. But the result was a niggling feeling that would crop up as we got close to every Thanksgiving and carry on throughout the Holidays. We improved year by year, had our own families, and developed our own strategies of decorating steeped in the foundational mastery of a modest but talented man.

My absolute favorite thing to do with my father during the decorating, was to assist him with the stringing of the lights. We tested the lights once when we took them out of the box by plugging them in, but then we didn’t turn them on again until they were all in their appropriate places. Once the arrangements were made, we would put on Christmas tapes and turn out the lights. Then if I was lucky, or if my sister was lucky, we would be called upon to put the plug into the outlet.

The initial lighting of the season could not be topped. We would sit for moments at a time, staring at the scene while being enamored by being transported to a magical kingdom of wonder and delight.

We would listen to Perry Como, or Nat King Cole, or Dean Martin sing sweetly and solemnly. In a quiet moment, perhaps the quietest moments, I would look at my Father’s eyes as he surveyed the room and the magic he created, and in those moments, I lived the joy of Christmas. I discovered the feeling of being with family and sharing accomplishment and satisfaction and realizing that no matter how plain something was to begin with, you could always improve it with a little patience, and imagination. That is why decorating our home for the holiday season is one of the better traditions my family follows.

Visit me on Facebook here: Christopher Paul Hickey | Facebook

Check out a recent post here: Advent Adventures: The Door to December Ninth, 2022 – ProCrasstheNation

Door to December 8th, 2022

Dear Jollies,

I hope this post finds you in the mood of the season. December 8th always seems to be a bittersweet date for me. It is the date that John Lennon was taken from the world. It’s been forty-one years since that tragic event. Although I try not to focus on his death, it is hard not to contemplate the things that could have been if we still had him with us. John is a favorite of mine. Not only because I dig his body of work, but because he was a flawed human being. I think the tendency for many people that revere idols is to view them as some sort of ideal that never changes and exceeds the negative possibility of our shared humanity.

On the contrary, I find John Lennon more interesting because he was human, and in spite of himself, he tried his best to do better and hoped for the better for all of us. I don’t want my heroes to be perfect. I want them to be complicated. Full of inconsistency, and as confused about their choices as I find myself to be by mine on the regular. If I see that there are others striving for a better version of themselves, then that motivates me to do the same. John gave the world so much. I value his ideas, his music, and his contradictions. 

With that said, who doesn’t enjoy a good eggnog? I certainly do. Speaking about contradictions: I hate eggs, but I love eggnog. Try to figure that one out.

Ever since I was a kid, and the Christmas Season was upon us our fridge would find a carton of Hood Golden Eggnog on one of the shelves. As a kid you learn to enjoy its sugary smoothness, and then when you’re an adult you learn to enjoy it with the addition of some spirits.

Nowadays, I tend to add some whiskey to my Eggnog concoctions and let the sugary smoothness with a bit of bite warm me from the inside. Also, many folks tend to opt for the nutmeg accompaniment. Whereas I choose: yes, you guessed it, Cinnamon Sugar.

It is a very exclusive drink for me as I only consume eggnog during the winter and generally just around the Christmas Holiday.  Wherever you may be during this fine Holiday Season, I hope that you find yourself in a position to enjoy some eggnog. Pass through the Door to December 8th to find a delicious recipe for making your very own eggnog special.

CPH

Open…

Kahlua, Eggnog and Irish Whiskey Cocktail

A variation on a Kahlua and Eggnog Cocktail with the addition of some Irish Whiskey. Perfect.

Prep Time10 minutes

Cook Time10 minutes

Total Time20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 oz Coffee Liqueur
• 1 oz Jameson Irish Whiskey
• 4 oz eggnog
• Nutmeg, grated

Instructions

1. Fill cocktail glasses with crushed ice.
2. Put the Kahlua, whiskey and eggnog into a pitcher and mix thoroughly.
3. Pour over ice and top with freshly grated nutmeg.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

 1

Serving Size:

 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

Visit me on Facebook here: Christopher Paul Hickey | Facebook

Check out a recent poem here: Advent Adventures: The Door to December Seventh, 2022 – ProCrasstheNation

Seasoned Greetings 25

Seasoned Greetings 25 – Price List

Holiday Poem – $5.00

Christmas Card Message – $5.00

Christmas Haiku – $2.50

Christmas Limerick – $2.50

Christmas Party Toast – $2.50

Festivus Grievance – $1.00

Festivus Frenemy Insult – $1.00

To order an original Seasoned Greeting, either email me @ seasonedgreetings25@gmail.com or DM me with a few details about the recipient to whom you’d like to send a Seasoned Greeting to.

I accept Venmo

Door to December 6th, 2022

Dear Season’s Greeters,

I hope this post finds you well. We are moving quickly into the second week of December 2022, and we anticipate another festive season. I’ve been doing my decorating duties at home, as well as watching my Hallmark Movies. Soon I’ll be sitting down to write some Christmas Cards 😉 Oh, and the music, we’ve been listening to Christmas Music pretty much since the second week of November. We have a jolly bunch of elves all up in my place. 

Yesterday, my daughter in a fit of boredom decided to go shopping at our house and then wrap the gifts that she “bought” for us. We had the presentation of gifts shortly after dinner. She didn’t do too bad. She found items that were applicable and appropriate to all. The baby got a toy. The toddler got a board book. Her older brother got a Dinosaur book. My wife got a novel. I got a book of puzzles. So, it was a success. Whether she realizes it or not, she is prepping for a lifetime of gift-giving and her strategy is sound. She chose each gift she wrapped because she thought of two things: Is the gift something they like? Is the gift something that I know will interest them? She comes from a proud legacy of thoughtful shoppers.

However, the shopper that was the most thoughtful in my life was my late Da, Paul Hickey. Not only was he thoughtful, but I feel pretty comfortable awarding him the title of “Perfect Gifter”

Being a “Perfect Gifter” essentially means that you understand the things that people like, and you understand the things that interest people. Also, you are able to discern those two things without the recipient knowing and surprise them entirely by gifting them something that they didn’t even realize that they wanted and would likely never buy for themselves. Many folks get so caught up in the shock and awe factor, that they simply don’t place a high enough value on the personal connection of the gesture. When giving a gift to someone you care about the amount of thought matters greatly. It is better to receive one well thought out gift, than to receive a dozen gifts given without any thought.

When someone takes the time to see you, really see you, they want to acknowledge that they care about you and will show you that the things you care about are worth sharing. My Da had a preternatural talent for this. A gift, if you will? I can’t recount as adults how many times he was able to honor our shared experiences, my personal preferences, and to be able to connect the dots so that I would be surprised. So many times. I’m grateful that he listened to the song of my life and was able to contribute so many verses. 

Gifts are not about transactional exchanges; they are opportunities to let other people know that they are valued and appreciated for who they are and what you share between you. 

I hope that you are a “Perfect Gifter” to someone else, or you have experienced the kindness and love that comes of having such a person in your life.

CPH

Open…

“Perfect Gifter”

Perfect Gifter,

Shopping sifter,

Talent, care, and knack.

Well received,

Exceeding need,

Don’t have to bring it back.

Perfect Gifter,

Wondrous winter,

Wrapped up in delight.

Care connection,

Thoughtful reflection,

You always get it right.

Visit me on Facebook here: Christopher Paul Hickey | Facebook

Check out a recent poem here: Advent Adventures: The Door to December Fifth, 2022 – ProCrasstheNation

Also, for those looking for gift ideas for family and friends alike, please check out my brand-new holiday writing service…

Seasoned Greetings 25

Seasoned Greetings 25 – Price List

Holiday Poem – $5.00

Christmas Card Message – $5.00

Christmas Haiku – $2.50

Christmas Limerick – $2.50

Christmas Party Toast – $2.50

Festivus Grievance – $1.00

Festivus Frenemy Insult – $1.00

To order an original Seasoned Greeting, either email me @ seasonedgreetings25@gmail.com or DM me with a few details about the recipient to whom you’d like to send a Seasoned Greeting to.

I accept Venmo

Door to December 4th, 2022

Dear Fa-la-la-la-la’s,

I hope this post finds you well. Long before we could correspond with each other in an instant we used to engage in a remarkable practice of sending physical items to each other through a service called the postal service. Before telephones, faxes, email, instant-messaging, texts, and tweets we would sit down and take the time to write words onto a page and send them to someone that would read them. Then they would sometimes reply to that communication by sending words on a page back. Simpler times 😛 

What was remarkable about this exchange was the care that people took in sending regards. In my experience, this was most especially felt during the holiday season of Christmas. Families would mark this special time by sending news and developments that had occurred over the past year, and finally well wishes for an even better year the following year.

Making someone’s Christmas Card list was an honor and to receive tidings from them in December meant a great deal.

The custom we practiced was to pick the frame of one of the doors in our home and used tape to affix them around that frame. It added another level of cheer to our home, and it was a physical reminder to us during the holiday season how many people we cared about and thought well enough about us to send us a card.

Over the years as technology improved, Christmas Cards found new formats and expressions and we found visual scenes by Currier and Ives being replaced by photos of our family and friends. Whole companies and businesses appeared to ease the rush of the holiday season by creating your cards for you and printing them out in batches so all you would have to do was put it in a stamped and addressed envelope and send out to your list. Process streamlined even further by excel spreadsheets, label makers and printing out your postage for you, so you wouldn’t even have to interact with a postal worker at the post office when buying seasonal stamps.

Call me a curmudgeon, call me a Scrooge, but something is lost here. Something integral to the whole point of the gesture: the personal touch. The act of sitting down and writing Christmas Cards to a friend or a family member is a defiant one in some ways, because it bucks the trend of succumbing to the rush and just checking another box on a long list of things to do.

The act in and of itself is precious and it is an opportunity for us to reflect in a meaningful way upon those that matter most to us. Sitting down and being present while writing Christmas Cards is therapeutic. It calls on us to remember, actually remember and contemplate the ties and relationships in our lives. There is magic in reading the written words of someone in your life. It shows care. It shows love. It shows focus.

If there is something I could convince you of this holiday season it would be to go to the dollar store and pick up a box of Christmas Cards, then go home and pull your address book out (yes, even if it’s in your phone) and sit down and be present with the process of reaching out to folks in your life that you are quite fond of. Write words on the card, see them, feel them, think about what you write, and think about the person you are sending to; in these moments you are part of the spirit of Christmas. 

You won’t regret it, I promise. If living during a pandemic has taught me anything it has taught me that being present in the moment and valuing that time is a gift.

In fact, I have a humble request: send me a Christmas Card. Let me know if this post has impacted you. Let me know if you’ve sent any cards out to friends and family. I’ll promise to write you back. Also, when I amass the cards from family, friends, and you; I’ll arrange them around the frame of a door in my home and I’ll post a pic so that you can see one of the ways I celebrate Christmas.

My address:

ProCrasstheNation Blog

492 Pleasant Street

Malden, MA 02148

I look forward to turning back time and corresponding with you my Dear Readers

CPH

Open…

Visit me on Facebook here: Christopher Paul Hickey | Facebook

Check out a recent post here: Advent Adventures: The Door to December 3, 2022 – ProCrasstheNation

Also, for those looking for gift ideas for family and friends alike, please check out my brand-new holiday writing service…

Seasoned Greetings 25

Seasoned Greetings 25 – Price List

Holiday Poem – $5.00

Christmas Card Message – $5.00

Christmas Haiku – $2.50

Christmas Limerick – $2.50

Christmas Party Toast – $2.50

Festivus Grievance – $1.00

Festivus Frenemy Insult – $1.00

To order an original Seasoned Greeting, either email me @ seasonedgreetings25@gmail.com or DM me with a few details about the recipient to whom you’d like to send a Seasoned Greeting to.

I accept Venmo