Merry Christmas!

Oh I just can get all gooey and gushy about this time of year! I LOVE IT! I love fall, I love the holidays leading up to it (Halloween and Thanksgiving!) I love everything about it. I think many people, like me, are trying to rediscover the beauty and the wonder of Christmas this year. Without Christ in your Christmas it just won’t be a complete and fulfilling Christmas. However, I get all gooseflesh about a lot of things that go on this time of year.

The beautiful lights, gorgeous carols, cantadas, and Christmas plays. The events you get to be a part of like the wonderful UK collage I took my family to or the Southern Lights show that we have at the Kentucky Horse Park. It is a time for hot chocolate, hot apple cider, and pumpkin pie. It is a time to snuggle up to that special person and go for a sleigh ride or catch a showing of “The Nutcracker”. It is a time to watch “White Christmas”, “The Bells of St. Mary’s”, and “It’s a Wonderful Life”. It’s a time for Hallmark commercials and wonderfully fun things on the Food Network. It’s a time to snuggle up with a “Christmas Carol” by Dickens or some other festive novel.

It is the only time of year that I wish I had someone in my life. When I miss that time to share with someone the most. I get over it pretty quickly and I know God is going to provide in His time, but as each year passes I start to think about the memories and traditions I will make with my husband and children.

Oh we had wonderful traditions growing up. My sisters and I shared a room so we would lay awake as long as we could to listen to reindeer hoofs and sleigh bells and we all swore we heard them. We always set a plate out for Santa Claus and a big glass of milk. Santa always assembled our toys and created a Toyland in our living room. One of my favorite things that we did and do, and I’m ashamed to say we haven’t done in the last few years, a tradition I plan to continue on with my children, is we sit around, turn off all the lights, light candles, and tell the Christmas story, then we sing Happy Birthday to Jesus, and some carols. It was and is a wondrous thing.

It mystifies me why some parents choose not to teach their children about Santa Claus. I understand wanting to keep the true meaning of Christmas. But, to believe in Santa is such a magical thing. It didn’t hurt me any. I also feel it helps prepare a child to believe in something bigger or more wonderful than they can imagine. I remember watching the “Santa Claus” movie when I was growing up. This is not the ones with Tim Allen, although they are some of my favorites. This was a movie made back in the 80’s. I can still remember when St. Nicholas and his wife are introduced to the North Pole. It is like walking into a fantasy world. I remember being wide-eyed and mystified over this.

I love the magic and the wonder of this holiday season. I love the joy this season brings. I revert to an eight year old child. I just can’t help myself.

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

I will be leaving on the 23rd and will be back on the 26th. We are going home to GA. Love to you all. I wish you the merriest of Christmas’s. God bless you every one!

Mel