Sheils Writes

My screenplay for my Hallmark Holiday movie would be a little different than what I’ve seen lately.  There would be no perfectly wrapped presents under a perfectly decorated tree, there would be no main man character dressed in a cozy sweater and skinny jeans greeting me at the door with a cup of hot cocoa, there would be no carriage rides through a snow lined street, no bundled up Christmas carolers showing up at my door…

My (almost) 60 year old lady perfect “Hallmark” movie would go a bit more like this – the main man character will show up at the door to greet me after my long day at work in camouflage cargo shorts and a Star Wars t-shirt with a full-size bottle of advil.  I’ll put up a small tree that doubles as a nightlight in the living room so when I’m up in the middle of the night to pee, I may or may not step in the latest pile of cat puke left by my grouchy holiday cat.  I may or may not fit into the same holiday sweater I wore last year, but I will shake it out and put it on for work the day of the pot luck get-together.  The next few weeks in my movie until Christmas Day will fly by.  Bits of shopping here, bits of Christmas music there.  I’ll sit down on Christmas Eve, look around at what was December, salvage a few moments of peace and let it all sink in.  The holiday has dropped in on me and I’ll hope that I’ve found some smattering of joy in it yet again.

…and as far as I’m concerned, Die Hard will forever be a Christmas movie.  So let’s settle in for the night, scroll around on one of the many movie platforms, find the one where I don’t have to rent or buy it to watch it and cheers to the month of December as only this older lady cares to…in her Nightmare Before Christmas pj bottoms, a fleece from 20 years ago that’s still holding strong, hot tea and bring on that advil.  These ‘perfect’ Hallmark movie characters have aged to know it will come and it will go, most of all finding health & happiness at the end of the month is really all they could ask for.

The End.