As Christmas grows closer, the smells begin to come out from every nook and corner. Many people smell cinnamon, some people smell that Christmas candle they just lit, and I smell new. The smell of new comes in many different shapes and sizes, for me though, it just describes the way I'm feeling this holiday season.
Have I walked the mall with a glazed look of happiness at all the Christmas decorations? No.
Have I gone out and purchased new decorations for my Christmas tree because I just don't like the ones that seemed so perfect last year? No.
Have I been playing Christmas music non-stop since August? No.
Its not that I'm not enjoying the holiday festivities, it seems that everything is taking on a new form this year. My list of news include many smells such as:
- A new feather down comforter that smells just this certain way. (If you've ever opened one up, you know exactly what I'm talking about)
- A new place to go for Thanksgiving and Christmas (which I'm lumping together into the holiday season). This year Christmas will smell like sandy beaches and breeze while Christmases past always smelled like snow.
- A new job has led me to a new place to live where the smells of the holiday season combine together just in the right sort of way to drive my allergies crazy. Thus, I might cheat a bit with this one and simply state that my nose is, well, not smelling anything this year.
- Even my coffee smells have shifted. The grocery stores have stopped stocking pumpkin spice flavors and replaced them with gingerbread, cinnamon, and etc.
I am also coming to the first Christmas in which I am not in school. Granted, I am paying off school loans, therefore, not quite sure if this one works, but I'll use it for the purpose of this post. And even though those school loans are killers, with a real job comes the smell of fresh money. Going to bed knowing that I have enough in my wallet to last the week. No ramen noodles! No cereal! No bland noodles!
As this holiday season grows closer, I urge you to remember those that will not be with us this year. For most of us, we have lost someone dear this year to us. With that departing comes the lack of a certain smell. For me particularly, I lost my grandfather this year. Knowing that I won't be in Kansas will make it a bittersweet Christmas, but there are always other loved ones around us to fill that void. Knowing that I won't be smelling grandma's tea or pecan pies at my grandparents old house this holiday season is probably the hardest new smell to get used to.
But as is with everything, everything happens for a purpose. I know I won't ever forget when my grandma took me to her garage (where she had a garage sale permanently set up!). She grabbed my hand, looked at me, and told me to pick anything I needed or wanted for college. She told me I was going to succeed on the East Coast and wanted me to remember my Kansas family.
Thinking of that memory makes me smile and realize that with this season of new smells, comes the interchanging of the older smells. Its a combination of the two that make the holiday what they are! New smells develop, old smells mature, and the lasting effect is the enjoyment of of a wonderful holiday season with cherished, loved ones.
And now, after writing this, I'm suddenly feeling the urge to turn on some holiday music and dance around my apartment with a strand of tinsel.
