Ho, Ho, No!

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By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher

‘Tis the season already – and it’s only mid-November.  Everywhere I look the holiday hustle and bustle is in full swing – and has been since early October.  Whatever happened to Thanksgiving?  You know the day we eat way too much and watch the big parade where Santa makes his first appearance for the season?

I’m sorry to tell you, Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, but Santa is late to the party.  Him showing up late November just isn’t cutting it anymore.  And has anyone else noticed that after turkey day this year, there’s only three weeks until Christmas?

This time rolling by at warp speed has got this girl shook.  Last week we celebrated New Year’s, and now it’s already time to do it all over again.  What has happened that time no longer ticks by?

Our schedule for the next five weeks is already borderline stupid.  And that’s without the scheduled essentials for the holidays.  Things like shopping, wrapping, decorating, laughing, loving, watching Christmas movies, spending time with your people, jammie days – none of that’s on the calendar – yet.

I am taking a step back from the mayhem and madness.  I am making a concerted effort to use the word that got me through parenting and likely keeps me married to Mr. Kaminski: “no.”  Though only two letters, it’s a powerful word.  I highly recommend invoking it.  It’s perhaps that only thing that will help me retain even a tiny portion of my sanity over the next few weeks – and we all know that’s a slippery slope to begin with.

Consider this an early Christmas present from me to you:  The latitude to say “no.”  This is your official excuse – your note to the gym teacher getting you out of dressing out.  Just say no.  After all it worked out pretty well for Nancy Reagan.  Heck, this lady redecorated the White House, much in need of a face lift in the 1980s, and got people to donate the money for the regal redo instead of spending taxpayer dollars to get it done.  Yes, let’s all take a page out of Nancy’s book this holiday season and “just say no” to the holiday hoopla.  Participate in what makes you happy, what fills your holiday cup.  Me, I prefer champagne in mine.  See y’all next week – on the porch!

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Patti Parish-Kaminski

Follow Patti Parish-Kaminski on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OnThePorchWithPatti/ and on Instagram at instagram.com/ontheporchwithpatti/.

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