November has arrived. Summer is a distant memory and Halloween is blessedly in the rear view mirror. So what comes next? If your house is anything like mine when I was a child, the arrival of November meant the start of the Christmas baking season for our mother. I fondly recall the heavenly aroma of fresh baked bread, the wonderful smell of cinnamon as the rolls turned golden brown in the oven, and the sight of pies cooling on the table. She started six or seven weeks before the day so she had time to bake enough treats to feed all 9 members of the family.

Mom lived for Christmas. It was her favorite day of the year and her mental preparations commonly began in September, when the carol music books would come out of storage and take pride of place on the piano. She loved playing them, or humming if she wasn’t at the piano.

My eldest sister takes after her. Her decorations appeared last month and, knowing her, they are taking over. Every room will be wearing something festive, and more than one tree is going to find itself festooned with garland, hanging baubles, and lights.

I, on the other hand, prefer to appreciate each day as it comes. The sun rises later and sets earlier each day, which always gets me down. I counteract the threatened depression by looking forward to December 21, because the days lengthen after that.

November is also a time of reflection for me. I wear a poppy until the 12th to show my appreciation for the people like my father, who served in the South Pacific in the Second World War. Without their selfless sacrifices, we would not enjoy the freedoms we have.

This month also marks the start of Christmas programming, although it doesn’t get into full swing until American Thanksgiving passes. Even so, the Black Friday sales and other shopping lunacy has migrated north of the border into Canada, which means I have to plan my supply outings carefully so I can avoid the chaos.

I’m not a fan of shopping to begin with and subjecting myself to throngs of people, mainly because my temper wears thin quickly, and the longer I persist, the shorter it gets. My peace of mind depends on staying away, which I try my best to accomplish.

Having said that, with each passing year, I am pausing more to observe the changes around me. Snow is on its way, if not this week or next, certainly before the end of December. With the white stuff comes the obligatory sledding down a fairly steep hill in one of the city’s parks. I’m way too old to partake, so I content myself with watching the children excitedly climb the steps to the top so they can hurtle to the bottom. Seeing so many happy faces usually brightens my day.

I also contemplate the approach of the last week of the year, with Christmas and New Year’s a seeming short week apart.

Is there a message to my meanderings? Or am I simply babbling? I’ll let you be the judge. Whatever your opinion, please take the time to enjoy the remaining nine weeks of 2023 and don’t forget to prepare yourself for 2024. As far as I’m concerned, getting ready for the future is nine tenths perspiration and one tenth preparation, and forewarned is forearmed.