Twelve Things I Love About Christmas

      1.     Kindness

      Example: The person who notices that I have five things in my shopping cart and she has 100, but is kind enough to let me get in front of her even though she’s a busy mom with four kids at home waiting for food. I realize this happens during other months, but during December it seems more meaningful.

2.       Love

      Example: Watching a holiday movie and waiting for the ending, when my sweetheart sniffles and squeezes my hand.

3.       Aromas

      Examples: Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, oranges, lemons, cranberries and pecan scented air, swirling around, making me blissfully dizzy and craving something fragrant and wonderful to eat.
      The smell of incense and candles at Midnight mass making me sneeze, but also reminding me of hay in a manger. I can picture myself kneeling in front of the manger and accidentally sneezing all over Jesus. How do you spell Claritin in Aramaic?

4.       Passion

      Example: Putting up our tree and fighting over the best way to wrap the bulbs around the branches. He says to go on the outside and I insist on getting deeper to the trunk to make room for the ornaments. This has been going on for twenty years and I don’t think I want to stop now.

5.       Chocolate

      Example: Why drink cocktails at a holiday party when there are chocolate dipped peanut butter confections, chocolate dipped pretzels, chocolate Yule logs, boxes of chocolate bonbons and endless chocolate delights just waiting for you to casually swagger up and stealthily inhale as many as your conscience can live with? I suppose a chocolate martini can’t hurt either.

6.       Joy

      Example: Watching kids unwrap presents. Ripping wrapping paper, delightful screams, giggling, laughter, etc. Awesome.

7.      Evergreens 

      Example: Forest room spray and live pine trees and wreaths on doors. We used to have living trees we'd plant every year, but here in the desert they just didn't work out very well. Our artificial Christmas tree is adorable and once I light my pine scented candle….

8.      Music

      Example: Singing Christmas carols and listening to classical and medieval Christmas tunes. Bells. I love bells.

9.       Giving

      For example, the perfect gift--a Santa Claus secret. Not necessarily expensive, but one that defines this Christmas from any other Christmas. It will be remembered for many years either for the difficult  assembly instructions or the complexity that went into preparing it. The gift that stands out for years as that memorable or shocking gift. The one that makes the giver blush because the recipient is so dog gone happy and everyone wants to know how you thought of it or what made you so generous or how did you find the time to…or where did you get it? 

10.  Free shipping

11.  Decorations

      Example: Sparkling holiday lights reflected in a loved one’s eyes.

12.   Togetherness

      Doesn’t it seem like hugs last longer and are more frequent at Christmas?
      Isn’t it wonderful to count your blessings when you’re together?