Christmas already?

We went to the plant store today so Dad could get some shade-loving, cold-resistant plants to add to our constantly improving and morphing garden.

Even though Thanksgiving is barely over, there already were Christmas trees on sale. I went around and stuck my nose in all of them, and every single species had a different smell.

Some were sweet, some were bitter, some were salty, and others smelled exotic. Some reminded me of the sea because when I was young, "the sea" meant my great-grandmother's house in the middle of a pine forest, with the beach right down the road. Some reminded me of the country, because "the country" meant my grandmother's house with the giant fir in front. And some reminded me of Christmas, because "Christmas" used to mean busy streets in Paris filled with shoppers, decorated trees in the storefronts and doors, and warm roasted chestnuts wrapped in newspaper cones sold right out of homemade tin can ovens by vendors in carts.

I can't wait for Christmas. But I'm sad that everything moves so fast, because there is still so much time and the seasons should be enjoyed as they come, not consumed greedily and immediately forgotten.

That's what I think, but the supermarkets think otherwise. Oh well...