Somewhere on Thanksgiving, I read or heard the following quip: The most tired person on Black Friday is the one who has to change all latte flavors at coffee shops from pumpkin to peppermint.
Sure enough, when I went into my local Hannaford the day after the holiday, the display of “autumn goodies” near the entrance had been switched to “holiday goodies.”
We had officially entered peppermint season.
During the height of pumpkin fall, I wrote about the proliferation of pumpkin flavors. It’s a phenomenon that’s appeared in the last few years, and seems to become more frenzied every October.
The popularity of peppermint in December, however, is not a mystery. Two words: candy canes. Two more: peppermint bark. And, maybe, since we derive many of our Christmas traditions from Germany, peppermint schnapps.
Peppermint is not as versatile as pumpkin, which can be used in both sweet and nutritious ways. The peppermint range is candy, cookies, and, of course, lattes.
Luckily, Christmas has more going for it in the adaptation department than does Thanksgiving. The latter is all about pumpkin. But Christmas also has gingerbread. Dunkin’ Donuts is offering “Gingerbread House” K-cups this season. Eggnog is another seasonal favorite, and the Starbucks’ menu includes an eggnog latte.
Christmas also has the advantage of its association with red and green. Virtually anything can be holiday-branded if it is made red and green.
Even cat litter can go seasonal. I recently bought a container of Tidy Cats which is scented to smell like “Winter Pine.”
I am a sucker for such things. Perhaps its because my husband, Paul, and I don’t get a traditional Christmas tree. We have a six-foot tall fig tree in our living room that we festoon with lights and ornaments. Pine-scented candles, soaps, air fresheners and, yes, litter, help me get into the mood for the season. Scent plays an important role in our emotional states.
But does it really matter if I get the holiday-wrapped Hershey Miniatures and Kisses? Would it be wrong to buy half-priced Halloween candy and save it for Christmas? I’m not sure, but my gut tells me tradition trumps discounts, and yes, the wrappers do count.
I could sneer at holiday marketing as a crass commercial ploy, but it fascinates me. That instantaneous scene change, from the harvest to the ho-ho-ho is remarkable. The elves must show up at the stroke of midnight to switch the orange and brown landscapes to wintry white, with touches of red and green.
Of course, the little toy drumbeat for Christmas starts before Thanksgiving now, and that irks me. I enjoyed a comic strip that I saw somewhere in which a child, going into the store with his parent and seeing a plethora of Christmas signs, says “Aren’t we celebrating Thanksgiving this year?”
I’m glad that Maine law prohibits stores larger than 5,000 square feet from opening on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. The very idea of a holiday is to take a break from the usual routine. I would be seriously offended if anybody got up from my dining room table to head off for a sale.
Now we are in the final stretch before the holiday. I wish I had the luxury to enjoy a leisurely preparation. But first, I had to get my graduate course work finished for the semester. That meant I had to order presents online, because, of course, the biggest course-related projects are the final ones and I was spending every spare minute working on them.
We are at the point where I have to take stock of what I bought and see if I need anything else. It’s OK if I do. What’s Christmas without a little last-minute panic? I don’t think I ever make it through Christmas Eve without a late rush to the drugstore, or maybe the local candy shop.
I also look to find Christmas cheer wherever I can. I love the tradition of an Advent calendar, and this year I purchased two virtual ones—Christmas Market and Victorian Christmas. I take absurd delight in these interactive, musical calendars that are designed by a wonderful British artist, Jacquie Lawson.
As I am a school librarian, I look forward to the high school holiday concert. I am so pleased when we are all “required” to be on hand in the auditorium, ostensibly to keep the peace. I wish there were more such joyful requirements in life.
I was intrigued to see on the week’s agenda for one of my elementary schools: “Reindeer.” I investigated and learned that yes, indeed, reindeer would be visiting the school and I, by some stroke of luck, had scheduled myself to be at that particular library at just the right time to see them!
It’s a Festivus miracle.
On the old “Seinfeld” show, George Costanza’s father invented a holiday called “Festivus,” which they celebrated instead of Christmas. Events included “The Airing of Grievances,” and “Feats of Strength.” Watching this episode is one of my favorite holiday traditions.
As is “A Christmas Story.” Though I’ve always loved that movie, I appreciate it more since Paul and I dined in a Chinese restaurant on Christmas day. I had prepared dinner here in Maine and we drove down to enjoy it with my mother in Rhode Island, in her assisted-living center. Then we headed up to central Massachusetts, where Paul’s mother was in a nursing home. I had made sandwiches for the two of us to eat later, but as we contemplated them in our hotel room, I thought of the Parkers, the family in “A Christmas Story.”
After a neighbor’s dogs make off with their holiday turkey, they end up in the only restaurant in town that’s open. So Paul and I headed off hoping to find some orange chicken and fried rice.
We were in luck. It was another Festivus miracle!
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