Bright Lights, Small City

Psssst…We discovered Santa’s secret. Did you know he really lives in a small trailer with Donner and Blitzen on the outskirts of the Pole? But more on that in a moment. First I have to ask, what happens if you wake up one morning and don’t understand your own culture?

That’s kinda what happened to us yesterday. I realize that we live in a bit of a bubble, a snow globe of our own, designing jewelry at home in our studio and then going out in public to sell it. But the public we mingle with are folks who attend art fairs and alternative festivals.

But yesterday, Groom and I did our annual day of Christmas shopping. I know, I know, there are people who can hardly believe that we only pop into the mall once a year, and even then it was for less than 15 minutes yesterday; two stores for specific wish lists. We usually shop at the Eugene Saturday Market and locally owned shops, so we are very spoiled.

But as we buy for those on our Obligatorium list (see Obliga-what? 12/10/10 ), we must venture out of our small, comfortable world and see what the other homosapiens are up to. It wasn’t all that pretty. We saw somebody write in purple ink on a napkin, “Big, Fat Slob,” and stick it under a windshield wiper. I guess it was their way of spreading “holiday cheer.”

After a full day of semi-fruitful shopping, we were picked up by a friend to join six others in a brand new, 2011 stretch limousine to gawk at Christmas lights for the evening. But we didn’t just see houses whose electric bills alone could finance a small country, we saw all kinds of larger than life inflatable characters and that’s when we discovered Santa’s downsized living conditions.

In spite of the commercialism, I heard a great line today from an audio book I’m listening to. Someone asked, “I need help, how do I connect with God?” Answer. “You are the connection point (as opposed to something or someone outside). Don’t try to be spiritual, just be yourself.”