Merry Christmas, Baby.

Merry Christmas Eve!

I went to my first semi-formal Christmas party ever this past weekend. It was hosted by Passion City at the Tabernacle in downtown Atlanta, and my would-be date had to work, so I flew solo. That's nothing new for me, I've always been a lone ranger of sorts. The hardest part was not being able to hit the dance floor. I'm rarely in the mood to dance a parties, but with a band as good as The City Heat, I really felt like I was missing out! They played all the soulful classics: Otis Redding's Merry Christmas Baby, Donny Hathaway's This Christmas, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's Ain't No Mountain High Enough... Whew! I'm in the mood to bust a move just thinking about it, and every member of the band sounded amazing - the trumpet player, the sax player, both bass players, the drummer, the keyboard player, and all three lead singers who took turns in the spotlight.

I sat on the balcony and watched the festivities from above and got to thinking about how different Christmas becomes over the years. I say "over the years" like I'm so old, which I'm not, but enough time has passed for me to notice how this time of year doesn't feel right without snow on the ground, or a tree in the living room, or a live nativity performance to see, or a number of other things that I haven't experienced for the past few years. 

Christmas used to be my jam. Now what I'm looking forward to most about December 25th is sleeping in. Even shopping for gifts this year felt like more of a chore than the privilege it really is. When I finished buying everything, I breathed that metaphorical sigh of relief because it was finally out of the way. That sounds terrible. It is terrible, and it's not in line with the Christmas spirit at all, but it's true!

On the other hand, I must admit, it was nice to go to an actual Christmas party, rather than a "Holiday" party. I understand America's need to be politically correct and tip toe around everyone's beliefs, but the calendar says Christmas, the government acknowledges Christmas, the banks close for Christmas, and millions of people around the world (Christian or not) observe Christmas. When did celebrating Christmas get so taboo? Can't we all recognize and respect other religious holidays without downplaying Christmas? 

But I digress. I'm all over the place this morning. I just had to deal with a dog who suddenly decided she was afraid of thunder this morning, and I didn't make coffee, and I forgot my wedding ring set on the bathroom counter (didn't realize it until I was on the highway). Have I mentioned I'm looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow?

Anywho, in the words of Otis Redding: Merry Christmas, Baby! I'll be listening to these Christmas jams today. Tomorrow I'll bake homemade cookies with my mom in the afternoon, and then we'll head to dinner with some family. Hopefully somebody makes sweet potato pie.

♥