South Pole Elves
I am not anti-Thanksgiving.
I am most certainly pro-holiday cheer.
There is something about the glow of a Christmas tree and the dazzle of ornaments that detangles the claws of those beastly monsters of anxiety and negativity that plague us so frequently. Along with a multitude of fellow (North Pole) elves, I get slammed with criticism for being that person. (You know, the one bouncing up and down with such poorly-managed excitement in the aisle slathered with red and green a mere 13.5 seconds after Halloween that our shopping companions steer their cart in another direction and adamantly deny their relation.)
Much to everyone's shock, I have been prepping my Thanksgiving dessert plan for weeks and it is already underway, cushioned with just as much affection as my yuletide to-dos. I've already wiped my counters thrice from flour showers, cocoa eruptions, and batter spills, scrubbed pans within an inch of their life to recover them from their homemade caramel sauce production, and constructed, destroyed, and recreated (because we don't do scratched out anything) my task list. Typically, I am the turkey queen, up to my elbows in an unwieldy bird, massaging, folding, tucking, and stuffing like a surgeon, then monitoring like a stressed nurse for hours after its emergence from the oven (you smell like that turkey for a good week after as well...nobody tells you about that part). Let this be the end of accusing me, or any of the elf squad, for being a "holiday skipper."
Team Buddy is simply Team JOY. We are not at war with the South Pole-erm I mean...Thanksgiving elves, we are simply on a mission to encourage them to share in our egg nog. There is one sole time of the year mighty enough to drown out the roar of criticism, counter the crazy, encourage people to wave with all five fingers, and overpower the constant chaos of a relentless schedule. We don't bludgeon the fall people for their love of autumn, and we still like mashed potatoes (and my mom's fresh-snapped green beans and brown sugar-creme brulee-esque sweet potatoes). We just wish to celebrate this most precious season longer than 25 days (fortunately, Hallmark and Netflix are in agreement) because God knows we need it.
Several professional studies have been recently released about the benefits (BENEFITS) of early Christmas celebration. Our unorthodox efforts are a campaign against the "bah-humbugs" of the daily routine. If anyone would care to know, the elf squad holiday celebration looks similar to one of two schedules:
A) November 1-21: Christmas, Nov. 22nd: Thanksgiving, November 23-January 6th: Christmas/Epiphany
B) November 1-November 22nd: Turkey-Christmas fusion; celebration of all things to do with gathering, gratitude, and the decorations that go with it, both cornucopia and garland. November 23-January 6: CHRISTMAS!!!!!!
Our Thanksgiving holiday is primarily celebrated in North America (and a few select islands). The history we've reviewed is rather questionable, noncommittal, and wasn't declared an actual holiday until good ol' Abe near 200 years after the first occurred. But what has captured our hearts with this harvest holiday, just like Christmas, is its intent to focus on gratitude and generosity ("thanks"-"giving"... so amazing) with both familiar and stranger, bff and the person in front of me at Starbucks who insists on ordering an extra hot-pumpkin spice latte-quad with half soy milk, half almond milk, and room for extra cream before my simple two-second black blonde roast order. I am fortunate enough to be exposed to all varieties and cultures of friends on the daily. They tell me of lasagna Thanksgivings, gingerbread-house construction after the turkey demolition, Chinese take-out and movie nights, and the classic Rockefellers who aim their sights at a Pottery Barn-inspired, corn-husk encrusted dinner party to end all dinner parties. I adore them all.
I encourage everyone, whether you find peace beside the luminescence of an early tannenbaum or in the slow descent of a colorful leaf from a tree, that you swallow your judgement, and focus on the universal holiday goals we all, whether Team Turkey or Team Santa, share. Those of gratitude, genuine kindness, and celebration of our abundant blessings. Our days are showered with miracles; from a hand-painted sunrise to unlikely rainbows after a cool shower, the embrace of our loved ones, an unexpected eruption of laughter, a stranger's smile, that first step out of the car after a 3 hour drive in the snow (last week...talk about early!!), the small opportunities we have to do small good things. Keep your eyes on your faith, your heart full of giving, and let the elves sip their peppermint mocha in peace...you'll want one in a few days, anyway ;).
Psalm 118:29
I am most certainly pro-holiday cheer.
There is something about the glow of a Christmas tree and the dazzle of ornaments that detangles the claws of those beastly monsters of anxiety and negativity that plague us so frequently. Along with a multitude of fellow (North Pole) elves, I get slammed with criticism for being that person. (You know, the one bouncing up and down with such poorly-managed excitement in the aisle slathered with red and green a mere 13.5 seconds after Halloween that our shopping companions steer their cart in another direction and adamantly deny their relation.)
Much to everyone's shock, I have been prepping my Thanksgiving dessert plan for weeks and it is already underway, cushioned with just as much affection as my yuletide to-dos. I've already wiped my counters thrice from flour showers, cocoa eruptions, and batter spills, scrubbed pans within an inch of their life to recover them from their homemade caramel sauce production, and constructed, destroyed, and recreated (because we don't do scratched out anything) my task list. Typically, I am the turkey queen, up to my elbows in an unwieldy bird, massaging, folding, tucking, and stuffing like a surgeon, then monitoring like a stressed nurse for hours after its emergence from the oven (you smell like that turkey for a good week after as well...nobody tells you about that part). Let this be the end of accusing me, or any of the elf squad, for being a "holiday skipper."
(Look at my wonderful husband; just as much at peace amongst the foliage of fall and sitting on the couch beside my candy-cane-striped socks)
Team Buddy is simply Team JOY. We are not at war with the South Pole-erm I mean...Thanksgiving elves, we are simply on a mission to encourage them to share in our egg nog. There is one sole time of the year mighty enough to drown out the roar of criticism, counter the crazy, encourage people to wave with all five fingers, and overpower the constant chaos of a relentless schedule. We don't bludgeon the fall people for their love of autumn, and we still like mashed potatoes (and my mom's fresh-snapped green beans and brown sugar-creme brulee-esque sweet potatoes). We just wish to celebrate this most precious season longer than 25 days (fortunately, Hallmark and Netflix are in agreement) because God knows we need it.
Several professional studies have been recently released about the benefits (BENEFITS) of early Christmas celebration. Our unorthodox efforts are a campaign against the "bah-humbugs" of the daily routine. If anyone would care to know, the elf squad holiday celebration looks similar to one of two schedules:
A) November 1-21: Christmas, Nov. 22nd: Thanksgiving, November 23-January 6th: Christmas/Epiphany
B) November 1-November 22nd: Turkey-Christmas fusion; celebration of all things to do with gathering, gratitude, and the decorations that go with it, both cornucopia and garland. November 23-January 6: CHRISTMAS!!!!!!
Our Thanksgiving holiday is primarily celebrated in North America (and a few select islands). The history we've reviewed is rather questionable, noncommittal, and wasn't declared an actual holiday until good ol' Abe near 200 years after the first occurred. But what has captured our hearts with this harvest holiday, just like Christmas, is its intent to focus on gratitude and generosity ("thanks"-"giving"... so amazing) with both familiar and stranger, bff and the person in front of me at Starbucks who insists on ordering an extra hot-pumpkin spice latte-quad with half soy milk, half almond milk, and room for extra cream before my simple two-second black blonde roast order. I am fortunate enough to be exposed to all varieties and cultures of friends on the daily. They tell me of lasagna Thanksgivings, gingerbread-house construction after the turkey demolition, Chinese take-out and movie nights, and the classic Rockefellers who aim their sights at a Pottery Barn-inspired, corn-husk encrusted dinner party to end all dinner parties. I adore them all.
Psalm 118:29
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