Holiday preparations can be frantic. Some years Thanksgiving and Christmas creep up on me until I realize time is short to choose presents, wrap them, bake and write my quota a day too. I find myself going through the motions some years until a particular Christmas tradition captures my attention and I stop to appreciate the season and all it means.
This year, Idina Menzel's Christmas CD hooked me into feeling the season. Once I listened to it, cookie baking took on a new fervor and more love went into each batch I mixed up. Since this is the first time our adopted cats Halo and Paddington heard music, it was fun to watch their reactions. When I sang along they might have thought I was another cat meowing! But eventually they realized music was just part of the preparations and they should sit on the rug and enjoy it rather than running from it.
I try to buy presents all year so I can choose the right gifts for friends and family. I like to wrap leisurely too, so I can enjoy the process.
Whenthe final package is mailed, I feel like Santa Claus. Watching close one's eyes light up or smiles break across their faces says "Christmas" to me.
Most of all family flying in for Christmas is what the holiday is about for us. Wreaths, shiny balls and Christmas carols pale in comparison to wrapping my arms around a loved one.
What says "Christmas" to you?
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Christmas isn't really my holiday, but the whole season to me is about sharing time with the ones you love, plus, of course, the beauty of the sparkly lights.
ReplyDeleteOrnaments handmade by my mom. They remind me of the best parts of her.
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