Christmastime!

It's Christmastime!

I am so excited about decorating our tree!  There is something really nice about this tradition; pulling out all of your old ornaments and remembering where each one came from...although in our case, a lot of them came from Big Lots (don't judge).  We try to add a new ornament every year though.

This year I decided to make a lot gifts for friends and co-workers.  And now I am thinking what did I get myself into?  I have 6 more scarves to knit and a blanket to make!  My fingers are constantly sore now!  But I love making stuff for people.  I find myself thinking about the person while I am creating their gift; memories, anecdotes, etc.  I am thankful for my friends and family and this time of year I am especially thankful! 

My mom passed away right before Christmas when I was 13. It was a very difficult time but we were lucky.  Our church family surrounded us with love, cooked for us, gave us presents...that was the year I got the Swatch Phone...it was one of the most amazing gifts! It meant so much to me that our friends went out of their way to include us in their festivities and try to make our holiday a little brighter. I will always remember that Christmas with sadness and joy.

We live in a condo community where we are the spring chickens of the bunch (definition of spring chicken: young-ins, whipper snappers, youths, etc). It's almost a retirement community with the exception of a few and there are many folks that spend Christmas alone.  I hope that this year they will get to visit with their families.  I would love to do a community cover-dish (you know the kind where there's always a bucket of KFC and some kind of jello salad). It would also be fun to carol door to door. Baking is always an option but there are 117 units in my building!  That's a lot of banana bread!  Maybe we can do a winter party when it's too cold for anyone to venture outside.  I'm always thinking on a large scale...but I think I forget about the small things: holding the door for the widow who has her arms full of groceries, bringing Millie (my shih tzu) out with me so she can visit with the neighbors (they love her), being a good listener for those who are lonely...I need to focus on others and not be so focused on myself and my busyness.

I hope that this year I can be a blessing to those who are sad and lonely at Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!