I once put the Christmas tree up during July because I wanted to celebrate Christmas again with my children. The year before had been a rough one and I felt we had been cheated.
We dropped the air conditioner down so low the windows fogged over, then closed the blinds, and baked cookies while listening to our favorite carols. That evening we curled up on the couch and watched The Bishop’s Wife, The Bells of St Mary’s and of course It’s a Wonderful Life, classics the children had never seen.
Although I’ve not put the tree up at odd times of the year again, I have begun stretching out my enjoyment of the holiday. Our Christmas this year in Alabama was unseasonably hot. Now that the temps have dropped, I’ve begun taking long drives early in the morning and late at night, listening to my favorite CDs.
Susan Boyle’s rendition of Perfect Day has become worn. As I missed this production of it in 2011, I was shocked to find it filmed in the place it most reminds me of. Always, from the first moment I heard it, the lyrics have made me long for Central Park, a day there, roaming alone.
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ELIZABETH MOZLEY
@ElizabethMozley & @CentipedeYAread
And on Facebook – We Share the Same Sky, author Elizabeth Mozley
We Share the Same Sky, a memoir
Elizabeth Mozley Partridge, Alabama Author 