Oh how I love December!  There’s so much going on!  Christmas shopping.  Christmas parties.  Christmas gifts.  Holiday travel.  Christmas music.  Christmas decorations!  The whole month is one great big brightly decorated spectacle!  You can have as much or as little of it as you want!  It’s all out there just for the taking!  You can have a big big Christmas celebration, or one of much smaller proportions.   It’s all up to you.

When I was a child my parents would dress us in our pajamas and slippers and robes and put us in the back seat of our old Buick and drive up and down the streets known as Santa Claus Lane.  It was somewhere in the Hollywood area, I’m guessing.  The magic of the night lit up  by strings of   Christmas  lights and populated with pretend reindeer, elves,  and gigantic Santas on the roof was thrilling.

When my own children were small our city had a neighborhood designated as Candy Cane Lane.  The majority of the homes had elaborate decorations, and we walked along admiring the sights and sounds of Christmas.  These days, when we can’t find streets to cruise, we look for the most beautifully decorated shopping mall and just cruise it without any intention of spending or the pressure of a list.   The stores outdo themselves decorating, and children still line up to visit Santa.   If you have nothing on your mind beyond the grand Christmas tree and amazing decorations, and maybe treating yourselves to a holiday cookie, or candy, you can have a warm, indoor holiday excursion.   Without the pajamas.