It's beginning to look a lot like...
The holidays, which seemed so far away, are suddenly here. I have lived in other parts of the country, parts where the leaves changing, the frosty mornings and even the taunting, teasing early snow showers give warning of the impending holidays. I moved to Los Angeles eight years ago and each year the holidays still come as a bit of a surprise.
In Southern California the signs are here but are much subtler. A few maple and oak trees do change colors and drop their leaves but gardeners have that evidence cleared up by mid-day. The nights are cooler, the skies are crisper, I do put on a sweater to walk the dog in the morning, but I haven’t put my flip-flops away just yet.
So, for us, the first inkling of the coming frenzy comes not in piles of snow but in a flurry in the mailbox. The first frost, er, clue came three weeks ago when catalogs from Harry & David, Pottery Barn and Sur La Table appeared. Now the blizzard is on, the catalog deluge has begun, its hard to remove them from the box without tearing something. And…now the commercials are all about holiday shopping. And like everything else in the land of movies and entertainment…there is nothing halfway about this season in Los Angeles.
Time to make a list, time to plan where we’re going for which meals and when to have our party. Can we break out the ornaments yet? Is it okay to pull out the Christmas CDs? Where is that apple tart recipe from Aunt Julie’s party last year? There is so much information out there, sales, new gadgets, gifts with purchase, extended holiday hours…
We need to get a handle on this season before it overwhelms us and runs away, leaving us before we have had time to enjoy it. First things first. I called my friend Chris Volk, a third-generation Los Angeles native, “What sort of Los Angeles traditions does your family follow each year?” Funny I should ask, he said…
On the Saturday BEFORE Thanksgiving and I was off on my first Holiday adventure, the annual Volk Family pilgrimage to the Pasadena Christmas tree farm with the measuring stick to find the perfect tree.
Chris said we had to get there by 10 am or the good trees would all be gone. There were still quite a few to choose from…but not as many as you would think. $365.99 later, an eight foot tree was reserved. The tree itself will be cut down and delivered the day after Thanksgiving.
And with that a very Los Angeles Christmas season has begun…