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BEFORE I CAN TOSS THE Halloween-style pumpkin from the porch or purge the refrigerator of Thanksgiving's turkey leftovers, the wild frenzy to get ready for Christmas has begun. I went out under today's depressed and weeping gray skies to gather greenery for Christmas arrangements, since I'd promised to bring two table centerpieces to a meal being served at church this evening.






"What have we here?" I asked of my summery-looking yellow flowers and the pink honeysuckle, "Do I sense a bit of foot-dragging, some reluctance to admit your spotlight in the sun is rapidly fading? Don't you know, the times--or, well, the seasons, the holidays--they are a changin'!"






In spite of my slightly harsh words of reality, I felt just a wee bit disloyal as I gathered the boxwood and bayberry, the appropriately-red-and-green-dressed azalea sprigs...and remembered all the times I'd urged the little yellow flowers on to greatness.











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