Christmas In October

Remember the story about Lou's Christmas in July? (it should be in the archives in July if you'd like to check it out..please do!). I forgot about Christmas in October. It's Christmas in October now. You know, the decorations are up already in some places, and Marshall Fields (I will NOT call it Macy's) has their Christmas department all set up. I forgot about this. I forgot that Christmas starts in October these days. And I walked right into it. Yesterday. Got off the elevator, on a mission for a gift, and there it all was. Hit me hard. Christmas in October. Maybe starting this early will help us in some way to get through it. Maybe we will just become immune to it all. I had to walk through the Christmas decorations to get to where I was going. The thing is, I ADORE Christmas decorations. And, the thing is, Lou ADORED Christmas. That pit in the stomach, heart pounding, tears welling feeling came over me. What to do. Leave or keep walking? I kept walking. I walked through the Christmas department. Slowly. I decided to confront it head on. I looked at the ornaments and decorations. So many thoughts, pictures, and memories rushed over me. Good ones. It hurt, but it was a "good" hurt if there is such a thing. "Good", because I have such wonderful, loving memories. And that feeling is warm and it envelops me if I let it. I picked something up that I am just sure my little sweet pea Anna will like. And that made me feel good. Walking away, I realized that while Christmas will now be very different for us, it will still be Christmas. For the little ones in our family now, it will still be full of wonder and joy, and we will be a part of that. We will still have the magic of Christmas, we will find it in others. We will find it outside ourselves. That's what it's all about anyway, isn't it? So, once again, I think Lou has left us a very big lesson. This may be the Christmas we really get the true meaning of. I'll try. I just wish it didn't have to start in October.