Rainy Days and Holiday Craze

The Gifts of Everyday

Children enjoy nature's gifts even in a Pandemic

Updated 2026: Remember when you were a kid, and rain meant puddle jumping, mud pies, playing till you were wet and cold, then going in for hot chocolate by the fireplace? Remember, Christmas was magical and stress-free? I think that’s how it still should be. As adults, rain means cleanup, driving under sometimes treacherous conditions, not wanting to go outside… Holidays mean stress, demands, pressures, financial burdens, and social obligations…Well, guess what? The Covid Pandemic redefined all that grown-up nonsense to this day. Not socializing means no obligations, stress or demands, within reason. If you have children, you still have some expectations put upon you, or should I say, Santa does? But relatively speaking, gifts can be bought online. Time spent with the children is far more important than receiving things and is invaluable. Maybe if Covid taught us nothing else, it taught us that we can live without all the hustle and bustle and moving around that we thought we could not. It has taught us to spend time with the ones we love again, to set aside the pressures and demands from the outside world, and to live and love inside our own tiny bubble. Covid brought many bad things, but it also brought families back together, and basically took us back 150 years to the way things used to be. Times were simpler then. People stayed home more, were self-sufficient, and appreciated the small things. This pandemic can be seen as bad, or we can embrace the good it has also brought about. Put on your goulashes, raincoat, and grab an umbrella. Go stomp in the puddles with the ones you love. It doesn’t matter if you buy gifts. The gift is in the moment. The moment is now. Enjoy it.