Thursday, December 13, 2018

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year


I have always found this the most wonderful time of the year but not because of the gifts which has commercialized it way too much to my liking.  As Alfred so famously said on Miracle on 34th Street, “there is a lot of bad ‘isms floating around in the world, but one of the worse is commercialism.  Make a buck, make a buck.  Even in Brooklyn it’s the same, don’t care what Christmas stands for, just make a buck, make a buck.”  I admit that I did my fair share of Christmas shopping but with limitations, all online on Black Friday morning and Cyber Monday and then having to play roulette with brazen package thieves that have become rampant this year.  Talk about not caring what Christmas stands for. 

But only spending at most a day and a half on shopping for the material things, it leaves me the rest of the season to do what I love best, snuggling in front of the tree in a comfy robe wrapped in my warm Sherpa Fleece Blanket and going "Around the Bay" with a cup of snickerdoodle hot chocolate, hot caramel apple cider, or snowman hot chocolate looking at Christmas lights and decorations that someone painstakingly created or put up to bring a smile to our faces. 

Union Square – San Francisco



Fairmont Gingerbread House – San Francisco











Pier 39 – San Francisco







Christmas in the Park – San Jose



















Victorian Christmas - Fremont







Chestnut Christmas Lit Houses – South San Francisco

















Christmas Tree Lane – San Carlos










Christmas Tree Lane - Alameda




















Although many are repeats of previous years, one thing we should all learn is nothing is permanent as demonstrated by the Camp Fire last month that wiped out the entire town of Paradise and now the Westin St. Francis sugar castles no longer on display this year making me glad I have those memories and pictures from previous years. 

With two more weekends to go, where will you find me next?  One thing is for sure, it won’t be at a mall.

Here is wishing that you all find this the most wonderful time of the year for all things Merry and Bright.