Seasonal Fruit

It's that time of the year again. Time to wear yourself out attending parties and holiday events. An interesting thing has occurred. This year most of my single friends got MARRIED, leaving me to be the endangered species among us. This makes for an extra busy holiday. You see now all the marrieds are having their own parties, and demanding my presence at each one. Not to mention the single friends that I still have who are staying home, but don't want to be ALONE on New Year's Eve. This means that I have to make the rounds. I'm not complaining. I feel so needed! LOL One of my marrieds told me earlier today..."We like our single friends. They're more interesting." So there ya have it folks. Apparently I'm the ENTERTAINMENT!

I'm well aware that at more than one party tonight I will in fact be the ONLY single person attending. So I am preparing myself with witty stories to tell, and a fake smile when they try to encourage me about love in the NEW year! I adore them all, and I know they mean well..but I just would rather have fun and NOT think about it. I can assure you that at Midnight, I will be nowhere near one of the "We're in love and you're NOT" parties. I will be sitting there with the few single friends I have, watching the ball drop and thanking God that I'm not the ONLY one left.

Now moving on... I promised you a special pineapple holiday blog. So here it is.


'Tis the season NOT to be picky. Still stuck out here in NO MAN’S LAND. Loneliness is at an all time high this time of year, so even rotten apples seem to have a healthy glow underneath the twinkle lights and mistletoe. As I pushed my way through the crowded Starbucks, I couldn't help but notice my surroundings. The place was buzzing with upbeat conversations. Several male voices, caught me attention. Well, to be completely honest it was slightly more than their voices that turned my head. I believe I've said this before, but I will say it again. There is just something about a MAN in a sweater! It's a good thing! Being as it's cold outside, the "man in sweater" ratio was pretty high today. It seemed to me that almost every man in that Starbucks was a pineapple. Which got me to thinking of course. I mean..what are the odds of that? What are the odds that I had found a pineapple plant? Yes.They grow on plants. Not trees.

Anyway…I realized that the odds were slim to none. The more realistic possibility was that I had been put under a spell by the magic of the season. Which brings me to my point. Seasonal Fruit. I asked myself…”Is it possible that an apple at any other time of the year turns into a delicious specialty fruit during the holidays?” I mean people feel good, so they’re smiling and laughing more, which is always an attractive quality. They are likely wearing new clothes they’ve been given or at least more colorful clothing. Ya know I think that would be an interesting study to do. Whether or not people tend to wear different colors at certain times of the year. Come on. You know you have had the urge to wear RED a few more times this month than usual. Or maybe even a little bling that you would normal not adorn yourself with. And dressing up in colors you don’t normally wear, or wearing something new affects your level of confidence thus effecting how you carry yourself. It’s a snowball effect. Pretty soon you are actually being NOTICED, instead of blending into the drab backdrop of life, as you know it. People are kinder around the holidays, and often speak to strangers. Normally I would stand in line silently awaiting my cue to give my order in the most concise way possible. “Tall white chocolate mocha.” But not today! Not in this season! Someone behind me comments on my scarf, and the guy in front of me asks if I’m traveling far for the holidays. Taylor the latte boy asks me if I’d like extra whip cream and muses about the weather. Suddenly the room isn’t full of strangers anymore. It’s a magical thing that only happens once a year, and you have to take advantage of it before it fades away. So I did. No one bought my coffee or asked me to yet another holiday party, but I left feeling pretty good about myself. What do you think? Was it a Christmas miracle? Did I indeed find a hub for social indulgence? Or did I merely think that I had, because of the brisk December breeze, the smell of apple cider and I dare not forget the sea of sweaters? I almost didn’t want to leave the winter wonderland, but one must eventually return to reality. However, I look forward with great anticipation to my next visit to Starbucks to solve the mystery. Perhaps the magic could linger long into the New Year. Or maybe…just maybe…my hormones are playing tricks on me.