Cooperative Living November/December 2023 - 34

RURAL LIVING
The Holiday Hustle
It's the most bittersweet time of the year
by Margo Oxendine, Contributing Columnist
I
t's the most
wonderful time
of the year. It can
also be the most
exhausting.
Yes, it is time for the
annual holiday hustle.
At this point - early November -
there seems to be plenty of time. Time
to shop for and plan the Thanksgiving
meal, or simply to make reservations.
Time to make out your Christmas gift
list. Time to shop early - although early
really would have been October or even
September.
Maybe you're like my mother. She
often had her gifts for us wrapped and
tucked in a closet by the end of August.
In 2005, the year our dear mother passed
away, my sister and I were quite surprised
to find a pile of Christmas gifts stowed
in the back of a closet. It was a wonderful
- but sort of bittersweet - Christmas.
There would be no more special
holiday meals as only Mom could make
them. There would be no more photos
of her sweet, happy smile, sitting near
a pile of gifts with a red bow stuck on
her forehead. (This became sort of a
tradition, and we all always laughed.)
My sister and I do the best we can,
but still, it pales in comparison.
There's the " empty chair syndrome, "
and it hurts. But we keep smiling.
Daddy has been gone since 1990, so we
have had plenty of time to adjust to his
empty chair. There's no more model
train chugging around the tree. That
train was a " gift " for my sister and me
when we were kids. But we weren't really
allowed to get close to it. In reality, it
was actually Daddy's gift to Daddy.
There are also no more rubber dart
competitions or oddball games with
marbles.
But, even if you're facing the holidays
without beloved members of your
family, there's still lots to do for the
holiday hustle. There are friends who
need the perfect gift. There are
neighbors who need " little somethings, "
usually something homemade - to
thank them for the help they have doled
out during the year. There are uplifting
carols and hymns at church, where we
will probably shed a tear or two.
And the cards! My sister
is great at sending out
Christmas cards. She buys them
early, gets out her address book,
and shoots off a personal card to
everyone listed in it. I am very sorry
I can't say the same. I always mean well,
but somehow, I don't manage to get
around to it - until it's too late.
I'll get cards from far-off and longunseen
relatives, and I think, " Gee; I need
to send them a card. " But, I am ashamed
to say, that doesn't always happen.
This year, I've made a promise to -
by golly - buy and write and send those
cards. The trouble is, they can't simply be
signed, " Love, Margo. " There needs to be
a synopsis of my current life. The synopsis
of my life right now is, " retired but still
working, " " walking every day in the
woods, " and " reading every thriller I get
my hands on. " Sounds exciting, eh? Not
really, but I love those things. So, that's
what I'll have to tell them.
Come to think of it, there's not much
" hustle " in my holiday hustle anymore.
Still, I plan to embrace the holiday spirit
and make the best of it.
I hope your holidays are happy.
Embrace them, and your loved ones! 
To order a copy of Margo's " A Party of One, "
call (540) 468-2147 Mon.-Wed., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.,
or email therecorderoffice@gmail.com.
CL WHEREZIT?
Look for the CL logo, like the one above,
in the pages of this issue of Cooperative Living.
Submit the page number where you found it
along with your name, email and phone number
to WherezIt, c/o Cooperative Living, P.O. Box 2340,
Glen Allen, VA 23058-2340 or go online at
co-opliving.com under " Contests. " Deadline is
Nov. 20. The winner will receive a $25 Amazon
email gift card.
32 ● Cooperative Living ●
November-December 2023
co-opliving.com
PHOTO COURTESY A&N ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
Love,
Margo
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Cooperative Living November/December 2023

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