“I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” Charles Dickens was right. Christmas melted even the heart of Ebenezer Scrooge. Well, mine does not have to be melted: I am my happiest when I am lost in Christmas.
The magic of it all sends me back in time to a place only my dreams know. It was a time of make-believe when anything I imagined could be real. I was stopped in my tracks by stumbling upon old boxes of vintage icicles a few weeks ago in a little Natchez store. My grin lit the dusty corner of the room, remembering Mama and me and all our holidays brightened by silver tinsel. Daddy was sure the tree would tumble over from the weight, but we paid no mind, lost in the moment. Snowba
Christmas in July is not an original concept and hardly mine to claim. Last weekend I found refuge from the sizzling summer heat of the French Quarter inside my favorite hideaway, Santa’s Quarters on Decatur Street. Amidst thousands of Christopher Radko creations, Mark Roberts fairies, and just about everything Christmas, I could not stop smiling.
I stood frozen, thanks to the Department 56 Snowbabies and the air conditioning on a hot day. Snowbabies are tiny figurines void of color and covered in snow, except the faces. Mama helped me each year by spreading the snow blanket, displaying each one near a miniature frozen pond we made with mirrors, and dusting each with glitter. This July, I added “You Are My Happy Ending” to my collection, proof that I’m the kid who will never grow up, for which I do not apologize.
Yesterday I swerved around ladders, pushing my cart cautiously around the elves at Hobby Lobby just to get a glimpse of the holiday splendor coming. I marveled at shelves of glistening, glittering ornaments that seemed to reach the sky, well, at least the ceiling. Walls of festive garlands entranced me, while aisles that seemed like miles of beaded baubles and heavenly angels cast their spell. Oh, the wonder of it all!
It was tempting to hum my favorite carols and sing out loud, “Please Christmas, don’t be late,” to all the employees and early-bird shoppers. We are planning a family trip to show two of our nieces New York City at Christmas this year, and I’m already looking forward to the store windows at Macy’s and Saks Fifth Avenue.
So it’s Christmas in July once again for me, but I wouldn’t mind living inside a Radko snow globe where it’s always the most wonderful time of the year.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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