Before finally moving to the Lowcountry, we hit the road to visit it more times than I can count. Any time we could get away we immediately headed to the land of Spanish moss. We were here so often we were considered “locals” by some establishments! No holiday was off-limits, including Christmas. Many years our old home was left with no decorations to speak of while we spent the holiday in a rented beach cottage with whatever holiday fare the owners put up.
Last year, our new home was completed mere days before Christmas. We packed up a small moving truck with just enough items to be able to sit, sleep, cook, eat and have some semblance of a Christmas setting; which amounted to our Christmas stockings and a tiny lit tree with a few ornaments. We were so happy to be celebrating our first holiday in the new house, we didn’t really care that we were sleeping in twin beds, sitting on outdoor furniture, and having meals on my small writing table.
So, after many years of few or no decorations, this year we have done it up right! After Thanksgiving we put up three (yes, three) trees, new stockings, fresh wreaths, holiday décor, – you name it! We haven’t gone Griswold, but stepping into our house there’s no question it’s Christmas. I’m sure I will be more than ready to pack it all up after the New Year and get the house back to normal. But for now we are enjoying the festive holiday bedazzle! We were even inspired to write our own version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”.
THE TWELVE DAYS OF LOWCOUNTRY CHRISTMAS
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
Twelve tubes of sunscreen
…Eleven pairs of flip-flops
…Ten toes in beach sand
…Nine herons flying
…Eight boats a shrimpin’
…Seven dolphins swimming
…Six gators sunning
…FIVE frozen drinks!
…Four oyster roasts
…Three beach towels
…Two salty dogs
…And our new home with a palm tree
Merry Christmas Y’all!
