Too Late

You know you are late with your Christmas shopping when the shelves are cleared of all but Valentine's Day merchandise. I should have known better, but really, I did think I would be finding adorable little things like hand carved wooden manger scenes and beautiful woolen scarves in the markets of Germany. Had the current world economic situation and the shrinking of the American dollar totally eluded me? Apparently I have been in denial. I do not have a Christmas tree as yet either. In days of yore, before people put their trees up on Thanksgiving and took them down on Christmas Day, trees would still be for sale in cold, corner lots, and by the 22nd, there would be several Charlie Brown trees remaining whose prices would be cut in half. Not so today. The place where I have bought my Christmas trees for the past few years and was hoping to find one for 2009 has been swept clean, not even a balsam needle remaining. But as appointed, Christmas will come, with or without my full participation. I will have to live with it, and focus on the gifts of peace, joy and hope that the Christ Child still brings today.