It is that time of year, when the hours feel like minutes and the weeks like days. I really do not know why the last few months of the year seem to go by in a blink, maybe it is because there is so much to do (even when not taking into account the holiday season).

Basket of Persimmons and Quince

I have been bringing in the end of the year harvests, the quince, the persimmons, the grapes, the figs, the apples, and I still have to finish gathering the walnuts. Then there is a matter of canning, drying, and baking all the above mentioned late harvest.

Zinfandel jelly

Then I realize that I need to get the gifts for the holidays, and this is when I realize that I am holding a silent protest against being a consumer. The advertising in every outlet I see has been telling me for weeks what I should be buying for the people I love, and how to make my dollar go further that I should be shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving, or now Thanksgiving days itself. But I have never been one that believed the dollars I spend equates to the love I have. When I spend time creating something, I have to have that person in my thoughts longer then just checking them off a list; I think of then for several hours as their gift is coming together. I don’t know if they realize or fully appreciate everything that goes into their gifts, but I can at least feel good that for me the meaning of the season has not been lost. I cannot put a price on my love, or relationships, saving a dollar on a sale and hunting to save a penny is not who I am. My gifts may not be fancy or complete showstoppers, but my heart is there.

I hope you have a way to feel the meaning of the season in your holidays.