Christmas

The word 'Christmas' alone can put a smile on my face. I love Christmas, I love the smells, the sounds, the 'spirit' of what everything entailed in Christmas brings.

Christmas to me is:

Music
Laughter
Nativity Scenes
Snowmen
Angels

Christmas programs, musicals and parties

Cookie decorating
Lights
Shopping
Wrapping
Gift giving
Surprises
Reconnecting
Family
Hugs! (yes and kisses too!)

Christmas brings out the best in some and the worst in others. It always breaks my heart when I hear a sad story that takes place during Christmas, or a bad memory.

Years ago I was talking with a girlfriend. We were sharing our fondest memories and talking about gift giving, or something like that, honestly I can't recall the exact conversation now, but I can remember what took hold of my heart. She and her husband had been married for almost 20 years yet he had never given her a Christmas present. It broke my heart. That Christmas I had decided to start a 'tradition' ..... one between her and I, and one that now even involves those around me. That Christmas I put together a secret 'santa' stocking for her. I put together tokens of love that I think she will enjoy and placed them in the stocking. This started years back when my marriage was still intack. While up there I shared with my sister what I wanted to do and asked her to drive me to their home so I could sneak up in a different car and run it up to her door. My sister was all for helping me out with this task. So that evening as it got darker she drove me down to my girl friends home. She even ran the stocking up to her door and hung it on the door and rang the doorbell and quickly escaped. We didn't stick around to see her open the door, but quickly left leaving no trace. As the years went one it became a game for her and her children (she is now a single parent like myself) they had to decipher who it was, a mystery. They compared the notes to Christmas cards and even with as much work as I did, (having the post office deliver the box (prior to 9/11) with a santa's return address to other sneaky ways --depending on where she was living....each year I made sure on Christmas eve a Christmas stocking has been hung on her door. Today after we spent the majority of the morning together, she handed me a bag. She said to me " I think you might find some use for this ...and she smiled" The bag was full of the stockings I had picked up over the years.....I smiled and said.. "stockings! how cool....where did those come from :) ?" she smiled and said ...uh huh ;) Christmas to me is loving those around us....comforting those in need. Sharing a piece of yourself with those that mean the most.