Wednesday, December 27, 2000

By PAT NEWMAN
pnewman@thecitizennews,com

Christmas may be over, but Hannukah and Kwanzaa are in full swing.

The extension of the holidays is ideal for people like me who tend to drag their feet up until Christmas Eve and then are so taken over by the spirit of the season that we go full tilt until Lent.

Eggnog, anyone? I've got gallons. Latkes? Plain or with apple sauce? I've got the menorah, the unity candles, the dreidles, and the nativity set everything I need to celebrate into the new millennium.

Once you get the accessories set up, it seems senseless to take them all down within a week. So don't bother. I follow the old Irish custom of keeping my Christmas tree up until St. Patrick's Day.

According to Eastern Celtic tradition, good luck and prosperity will shower the household that maintains its living tree until the wearing of the green. Who am I to mess with tradition?

Lights are another item which should be maintained indefinitely. I love my icicle lights. Not only do they add a festive flare to my gutters, but they cast a safe glow over the lawn, pockmarked by doggie divots and daily returns.

I admit, the window wreaths have removed themselves. Apparently, the stick-em on the Dollar Store hooks was inadequate to support the weight of my tinseled greenery. Like seasonal meteors, they dropped to earth with a thud, one leaving a quarter-inch dent in my car roof.

So let's hear it for the holidays. Bring 'em on. New Year's eve is just days away and I'm ready!

Bubbly? Check. Confetti? Check. Gold lame? Check.

The incoming 2001 is going to be one big holiday, lights, trees, candles and all.

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