Last week I began working on some glove puppets for a fall residency in a preschool. I planned to turn the gloves into autumn trees and needed to make 45 puppets. I’d seen some small fall-looking fabric leaves at the dollar store, and it would be a quick run, so I added the stop to my errand list. To my surprise, when I went into the store this early in the month of November, all of the fall items had already been replaced with Christmas ones!
“What happened to all of the fall stuff?” I asked.
“Oh, we switched out on Halloween,” was the answer I got.
“What? But the fall just started!” I left and ran to another dollar store, just in case they had left over fall foliage, but they didn’t, either. My next thought was Wal-Mart (it was just across the parking lot) – certainly they had not switched out all of their fall items! BUT! They had! All of their fall things, including Thanksgiving decorations (except for Thanksgiving paper plates and napkins) were 75% off and there was nothing left worth having. No colored leaves, just lots different-colored poinsettias… Did you know you can get poinsettias in purple with glitter?
What happened to November? What happened to the moment? What happened to slowly phasing out one holiday into the next? What happened to looking forward to the big dinner at Thanksgiving? I understand having Christmas craft items and fabrics out early, after all I am a crafter and an artist; if you are going to make stuff for Christmas you need those things early so you can have handmade gifts ready – but changing over the ENTIRE STORE? It made me feel pushed, stressed, and rushed, like they were trying to force me into skipping over Thanksgiving.
“Do you have any fall foliage left?” I asked.
“Only what is in the clearance area,” was the answer.
I left the store frustrated and went home, without even finishing my other errands. I took out my colored felt and began cutting out leaves for my glove puppet trees. These would be for the moment, for the fall, for the season we are in right now. One of the reasons I most love storytelling and puppetry is that it takes you to the moment. The storyteller takes you on a journey that phases gently into what is next. Not a rush, not a push but a transition. To be sure, it is good to plan; we all have to plan ahead, but don’t forget about this moment.
Watch the leaves fall, smell the air, have a cup of tea, go listen to a storyteller, and then tell some stories around the dinner table as you gather with family and friends.
Sure enough, Christmas will get here eventually…don’t push it.