It\u2019s December! Have you done all your Christmas shopping yet?<\/p>\n
At the start of the lockdown, me and everyone I knew was acting like depression era families. Saving margarine tubs and fostering a sourdough starter to ensure that we could have enough.<\/p>\n
There might not be enough.<\/p>\n
Now that Christmas is here, it could be that we are all ready to make our own O. Henry stories in which we fashion presents out of dirt and lumps of coal–gifts so perfect our loved ones preserve them and pass them on to multiple generations as the Christmas miracle of love.<\/p>\n
Being poor is kind of a game, you know? I remember poor very well. I wasn\u2019t unhappy. It can be a game. How will I piece together what I need from this restricted set of things?<\/p>\n
This is the game they played in the depression. What can you substitute if you don\u2019t have eggs? How much water can we add to the soup?<\/p>\n
There is church in Russia built entirely without nails. They had nails 300 years ago. But over there in Kizhi they didn\u2019t use them, and instead created what would become and international monument.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll make up obstacles to make it more fun.<\/p>\n
How good is your pig latin? EedNay ActicePray?<\/p>\n
Christmas itself is a game we agree to. THIS day, we decided to surprise everyone with special gifts. Sneak around and figure out what people want. No peeking and no telling anyone else if you know what they are getting. It\u2019s the Christmas spirit:<\/p>\n
What will make people smile? Favorite traditions and new treats are all gathered and specially presented. It\u2019s a good game, and we do everything we can to keep it going<\/p>\n
I doubt that there will be very many new treats this year. But it\u2019s an old Christmas tradition to find a way to make do and save Christmas no matter what.<\/p>\n
The game\u2019s afoot. How will I take this little supply of what we\u2019ve got and make something fabulous?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s December! Have you done all your Christmas shopping yet? At the start of the lockdown, me and everyone I knew was acting like depression era families. Saving margarine tubs and fostering a sourdough starter to ensure that we could … Continue reading