Wait Your Turn

/ Ann Coleman

For the past few days, I’ve spent far too much time shopping for a pair of shoes to wear to my son’s upcoming wedding, fruitlessly trudging from store to store in search of the one-inch heel, black, patent-leather pumps that I need to match the dress I plan to wear.  All that time in the local malls quickly revealed two equally depressing things.  The first is that no one is selling the shoes I want (at least not in my size and without a toe so painfully pointed that it could double as a drill bit), and the second is that all the major retailers think the Christmas season is upon us.  And I started my shoe shopping before Halloween.

img_0950Now don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas just as much as the next person, and probably a whole lot more.  It’s my favorite holiday.  I actually tend to go a bit overboard with decorating my house, putting up two Christmas trees, covering almost every horizontal space with Santas and nativity scenes, and stringing lights all over the front of my house.  This year, I may even light up the garage if I can talk my husband into it.  But none of those decorations are going up until after Thanksgiving.  I don’t want to begin my Christmas celebrations so early that by the time December 25th actually arrives I’m already tired of Christmas.

Personally, I hate seeing the stores decorated for Christmas in  October or early November.  I don’t want to see television commercials proclaiming “the holidays are here” two months before Christmas day.  This is still Fall, for goodness sake.  The leaves are still turning colors on the trees, people still have pumpkins and mums on their porches and I haven’t even started thinking about how my family is going to celebrate Thanksgiving yet.  This is not the time to worry about Christmas shopping or wonder exactly how many extra strands of outdoor lights I’m going to need this year.

We live in a time when it is already increasingly difficult to be mindful of our surroundings and to “live in the moment.”  We are constantly distracted by our cell phones, computers, etc., and bombarded with information from all over the world, most of which is both disturbing and overwhelming.  It’s a struggle to even recognize the “here and now,” much less appreciate it.  I just don’t think we need to add this constant pressure to rush through the present by looking ahead to a holiday season that is still several weeks away.

Yes, I love Christmas and I am truly looking forward to it’s arrival.  But meanwhile, I want to fully experience the season that I am actually living in.  I want to savor the cooler weather which has finally arrived,  and to really notice the trees that are suddenly sporting such beautiful colors.  I want to live in this moment and this day.  Yes, I know Christmas is coming, but it needs to wait for its turn.

39 thoughts on “Wait Your Turn”

  2. Oh Ann, you captured my thoughts on the current trend towards early advent of Christmas “cheer ” precisely.

    I usually end up feeling like a Scrooge.

    Liked by 3 people

  4. Here’s my suggestions. Shop online for shoes at Zappos.com (free returns if they don’t work out) and stay out of the stores marketing Christmas already. Enjoy this beautiful season and the upcoming lovely experience of your son’s wedding. Find a pair of shoes that are “pretty” and comfy that allow you to feel good and ENJOY the day. I’m guessing not too many people are going to remember your shoes. Focus on enjoying the special moments of the day! 🙂 ❤

    Liked by 2 people

    • Thanks, Jodi! I actually did try Zappos, but they didn’t have any in my size either. (That’s the problem with wearing a 91/2 narrow. My husband says I could water ski without the skis, and he’s right!) But thanks for the suggestion, it’s good to have friends that look out for me! And the good news is that I have a couple of friends who said they shoes that I can borrow, and I bet that will work. Because as you say, no one is going to be looking at my feet anyway, and all I want is to be able to walk down the aisle and dance with my son without tripping. Luckily, my dress is floor-length, so that should hide a lot! And my darling daughter-in-law to be says she doesn’t mind if I were tennis shoes!! Thanks for your support…it means more than you’ll ever know!

      Liked by 1 person

    • Oh, I just thought finding some dressy pumps in my size that looked right under a long, rather fancy dress would be a breeze, but I was wrong! (As I so often am.) But I have it under control. I have a pair of flats for the reception that will do, and a couple of friends who wear my size are bringing some shoes over this Sunday for me to try, so I’ll be okay. That’s the problem with having long, narrow feet…with wide toes…sort of like a duck on steroids. Shoes are hard for me!

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      • It is hard to find good shoes. I think the most important thing is to be comfortable at the reception. There’s nothing worse than one’s feet killing them, all for the sake of fashion.

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  6. I feel exactly the same way. I just bought a pumpkin last week (I know, a little late, but that made the look on our porch fresh and new!) I’m not even close to pulling out our Christmas decorations or thinking about the holidays. First things first and let’s all just live in the moment, as you suggest!

    Liked by 3 people

    • Yes! And pumpkins are a wonderful Fall decoration, right up to Thanksgiving! I’m glad you bought one, and I don’t think it’s too late at all. I love Christmas, but there will be plenty of time to celebrate it in December. Thanks for the comment!

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Here. Here. Our local Costco has had Christmas aisles with decorations for sale since July! And snowsuits for kids. Summer has only just begun in earnest ion our northern climes (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), and we have this visual reminder that it will be far too fleeting!

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  9. How right you are Ann.
    We have the same problem here
    in London. Shops should not be allowed to
    put up any Christmas decorations until the
    1st of December.
    Pumps!
    What kind of shoes are they? ☺️

    Liked by 2 people

  11. Yes, Christmas has hit some of our shops too but I’m blatantly ignoring it. I agree with all of your sentiments Ann, let’s just enjoy where we are and stop wishing our lives away. As much as I love Christmas it’s become far too commercial. Hope you managed to get your shoes sorted.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thank, Miriam, I did! Unlike many women, I hate shopping for shoes. And I agree, Christmas has become far too commercial. I try to ignore the commercialism and celebrate in my own quiet way as much as possible.

      Liked by 1 person

  12. I agree! Slow down. And, it seems that Halloween lasts longer too! I swear the costumes and decorations were out in August. Good luck with your shoes. Although you should have shopped for those months ago. It’s sandal season! Ha ha.

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  14. Yes, yes and YES!!!
    I walked into a store at the end of August and it was decorated for Christmas. A the end of August. Really?
    I don’t get it at all. I mean I know for retailers it’s all about the money but come on. More and more people are shopping online. My guess is somewhere down the road this will be the rule rather than the exception. I wonder then, if retailers will spend as much to decorate and if they’ll do so as early as the summer.

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    • It will be interesting to see what comes of this. Sometimes I think the stores might actually make more money if they waited to put out the seasonal decorations when the season actually arrives. The way things are now, I don’t want to buy Christmas stuff in the early/mid Fall, (and certainly not in August!) and by the time December rolls around, the merchandise is no longer fresh and new. So maybe it’s counter productive?
      But as you say, more and more people shop for everything online now, so I think retail stores are in big trouble and desperate to do anything that will save them. Very sad, really!

      Liked by 1 person

  16. Thanks for the reminder, Ann. Perhaps the fall is the hardest season for me to cherish the moment. With the thought of the upcoming holidays and impending frigid winter weather, it is easy to look past the cool sunny days of autumn and its red, brown, orange, and yellow colors.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Exactly! Christmas is for December, and it’s a shame that we’re on “Christmas overload” before it even arrives. I don’t like feeling that I’m behind when I haven’t completed my Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving, either! Thanks for the comment!

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