Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. I spent some time shopping this week and found the stores were loaded with Christmas decorations.
My hometown of Enid, Oklahoma has a giant Christmas tree for the last few years that kicks off the holiday season, https://www.theoneenid.com/ with a lot of fanfare. They have a permanent spot downtown for the tree that once was a real tree trucked in every year and now is an artificial one. There are opening ceremonies, and an ice rink is nearby with light tunnels to walk through. It begins on December 1 and goes through January 1 when everything is taken down and stored for next year.
The true meaning of Christmas in the Christian world is the birth of Christ. There are lots of other winter celebrations that coincide with the same time of year, but Christmas falls at the beginning of winter each year and I find that gives a heart-felt warmth to the beginning of the cold and sometimes dreary season.
And since it is cold outside, it is a good time to curl up with a good book. It is estimated that around 11,000 books are published every day. That mind-boggling number is enough to make writers and readers throw up their hands in despair. What to read (or write) and where do I find them? Online is always a good option but so is your local, independent bookstore. I have my books in several locations, but I always try to keep them in Putnam Six, https://www.putnamsix.com/ the local bookstore in Enid. You can find them online on Amazon, Barns and Noble, Walmart and several distributors for eBooks but nothing beats browsing the bookstore and holding the book in your hand.
Books always make a great gift whether it is for someone else or yourself. You can curl up with a hot cup of cocoa and a good book after a long day of shopping and watch the cold wet weather from the comfort of your easy chair.
The holidays are upon us, but that’s Another Story for another Time. Think books for Christmas for your loved ones. And after they are finished with them, maybe they’ll loan them to you!
What are you reading/writing/creating this week?
Peggy Chambers "Views from the Hammock" site 
I am reading Miracles by CS Lewis. He tried not to be too academic when writing it. I’m enjoying it.
I like viewing decorations at Christmas, but the only thing I indulge in is cut Holly branches. Those were the decorations before Christmas had anything to do with Christianity. Most of the festivities are from the winter solstice celebration (including the trees and the holly) from the pagan religions in Europe. Poinsettias however or something new from Mexico.
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