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My dog hates Santa hats and so do I
Last year, everyone wore Santa hats for the annual Sorrells family Christmas picture.
Even the dog.
She hated it.
As we placed the furry hat atop her precious head, her chocolate eyes drooped and she sighed through her dewy nose. The hat extended well past her man’s-best-friend limits.
Come to think of it, I don’t like Santa hats either.
Yet each year, I feel the pressure to wear them.
The hostess hat gives me hives.
The baker hat makes me berserk.
The shopper hat makes me sweat.
The classroom Christmas party hat makes me clammy.
The peacekeeper hat makes me cry.
By the time Dec. 24 arrives, I want to pull all those hats over my head and hide.
Although, I might be okay with being a reindeer.
Did you know reindeer don’t sink in snow? As heavy and awkward as they are, they run through the woods like four-legged fawns. They glide over glittering snow like sugarplum fairies. The reindeers’ huge, splayed hooves distribute their ginormity across a large area, which keeps them from sinking.
If only I could splay my life a bit wider during the holidays.
On the other hand, I can refuse to wear those hats — and antlers. Unlike my dog, I can put a hand up and say no to demands and expectations.
Alas, it’s not easy. Simplifying and sticking to convictions and boundaries during the holidays can feel like being a Charlie Brown Christmas tree in the middle of a redwood forest.
Cold.
Barren.
Alone.
Will the sincerity of simplicity ever outshine the impudence of excess? As recent celebrity news events unfold, we see how even folks who do “have it all” don’t really have it all.
So why put a hat over it — Santa, Nike or otherwise?
The next few days will be full of buying and returning. Giving and receiving. Feeding and eating until we’re quite full.
But here’s to hoping — after all your hats are tucked away — you find peace in the stillness.
Clarity in the silence.
And the promise of a single star.
Wishing you a real and simple Christmas!
Amy Sorrells is a Zionsville resident and writer working on her first book. E-mail Amy at aksorrells@gmail.com.
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