Women: The Warriors of the Holiday Season

Some things get better with time. The holidays to me fall into that category. We seem to linger with friends a little longer, recognize the true meaning of the season, really enjoy watching all the wonderful classic holiday movies, converse over special ornaments as we hang them on the tree, and on and on....It is only the first of December and I have already watched " Miracle on 34th Street" and " It's a Wonderful Life."

Do you remember in "It's a Wonderful Life" after Clarence the angel showed George Bailey what his town would have been like if George had never been born? Clarence's quote to George was "Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?" I'm going to flip this quote to the feminine side for just a minute. What would happen if we removed women from the holiday equation? What would that hole look like that Clarence referred to when speaking with George Bailey? In my humble opinion, Santa is not the only one who delivers during the holidays. The ladies are expected to deliver with as much consistency as the big guy in the red suit.

I consider women the warriors of the season! Ladies, most of this holiday "stuff" falls into our wheel house. Sean's biggest responsibility is to pay and carry. Now those are big; don't get me wrong, but do they create a legacy or photos for the "Memories Book"? Absolutely not. The Legacy of the Holiday Season is typically created and handed down by you guessed it...women.

Now grant you, my legacy to Collins is usually a list of places to call for food or who makes the best cakes or what aunt to call to ask about making cranberry sauce, but none the less, I am leaving her a legacy. Albeit, it is unusual. That was a big word for me...anyway, we, the women of the world, are the ones expected to please, put up, place, plan, pick out, purchase, and then the guys can't figure out why we are pooped!  I don't remember hearing very many stories repeated by people who said, "This was my grandfather's special recipe or my uncle made Christmas cookies with us every Christmas or my brother helped wrap presents." Nope, you just don't hear it. If I waited for the men in my family to put up a tree or place a wreath on the front door, it would never happen.

Now we absolutely have a TV in every room, NFL channel ordered on the appropriate day and a comfortable chair in all the right places but they have no clue how to pull the attic down and get the ornament boxes out or which days you do what on Hanukkah or any other holiday tradition.

This really isn't a male bashing blog, hmmm...no really. It is a salute to the moms, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, and girlfriends who make this time of year what we expect and anxiously look forward to every November and December. We are expected to feed not only our family but the hungry as well, clothe the naked, comfort the sick, advocate fairness, decide whether to get a new axle to replace the busted one or buy a Barbie for Betty and a bike for Ben. Then when that to-do list is complete we have just enough time to refocus and try to figure out how to solve the growing disparities in our society and provide solutions to all local and National problems. Whew...remember ladies as the song goes, "It's the hap- happiest season of all!"

So to all my powerful Mrs. Clauses, I give you a round of applause, a standing ovation, a high five and fist pumps! I want you to ring your bells and toot your horns! Because you are what puts the Merry in Christmas! So keep jingling and sparkling and let's keep our head held high and don't get bogged down with all of the above. Make a list, review it and remove everything that is not absolutely necessary, but why don't you add to it one thing to keep you focused on the real meaning of the season. Take some "me" time to reflect and I highly recommend watching "It's a Wonderful Life"!

Photo credit by: GovernorDayton

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