Christmas may

be over, but Hannukah and Kwanzaa are in full swing.

The extension

of the holidays is ideal for people like me who tend to drag their feet

up until Christmas Eve and then are so taken over by the spirit of the

season that we go full tilt until Lent.

Eggnog, anyone?

I've got gallons. Latkes? Plain or with apple sauce? I've got the menorah,

the unity candles, the dreidles, and the nativity set everything I need

to celebrate into the new millennium.

Once you get

the accessories set up, it seems senseless to take them all down within

a week. So don't bother. I follow the old Irish custom of keeping my Christmas

tree up until St. Patrick's Day.

According to

Eastern Celtic tradition, good luck and prosperity will shower the household

that maintains its living tree until the wearing of the green. Who am

I to mess with tradition?

Lights are

another item which should be maintained indefinitely. I love my icicle

lights. Not only do they add a festive flare to my gutters, but they cast

a safe glow over the lawn, pockmarked by doggie divots and daily returns.

I admit, the

window wreaths have removed themselves. Apparently, the stick-em on the

Dollar Store hooks was inadequate to support the weight of my tinseled

greenery. Like seasonal meteors, they dropped to earth with a thud, one

leaving a quarter-inch dent in my car roof.

So let's hear

it for the holidays. Bring 'em on. New Year's eve is just days away and

I'm ready!

Bubbly? Check.

Confetti? Check. Gold lame? Check.

The incoming

2001 is going to be one big holiday, lights, trees, candles and all.

Back

to the Top of the Page