The Holiday Rush
It never fails…
Somewhere, it the middle of summer days that lazily stretch out before me, time seems to stand still and the holiday season is barely a blip on the radar. Years of previous experience rear their ugly head and remind me that it will come faster than I think, as it does every year, but the sound of the ocean waves crashing at my feet and the glint of the sun on the water make me shift in my chair and I blatantly ignore that sage voice in my head and wiggle my toes deeper into the sand. After all, it’s September and the beaches have cleared of tourists and we are still lounging amid warm and pleasantly less humid 80 degree days. Who cares about winter and Christmas? Not this girl!
(That’s always my first mistake…and this isn’t my first rodeo!)
Fast forward to October…literally…and it’s all double black diamond downhill from there. The minute pumpkin patches are at play, it feels like the whole world is talking about Black Friday, holiday show season is beginning and the Christmas gift requests are starting to pile up in my messages, inbox, and DM’s. It’s now the first of December and I’ve got about two weeks of teaching left with the college before semester end and I’m trying to squeeze in extra hours at the bench wherever I can find them. Of course, I’ve caught a cold which has laid me down for about a week and time is never so fleeting. I look backwards to that girl with the laissez-faire attitude on the beach and curse her silently for being so flippant when I’m now trying to keep my eye from twitching and also practice self-care. NEXT year, I’m going to plan better. I swear!
For now, I’m juggling my Santa’s Helper duties at my workbench, end of semester grading, a gallery installation of student work, overhauling my website (because WHY would I wait and do that AFTER the holidays when the depths of winter are settling upon us?!) and beginning the Spring show jurying process.
All in a day’s work for an independent jeweler….
Someone hand me the tissue box and a cup of tea, please?
