Merry Christmas!

chopeh.deviantart.com

M is for the many Months that I have had to do my Christmas Shopping, but didn't.

E is for the Excitement starting to build about having the family back together soon.

R is for getting Ready to dive into the stores and refuse to leave until the shopping is done. I should have done more training. Lucky I still have elbow, shoulder and knee pads for protection from the crowds.

R is for Rum. You can never have too much, especially at Christmas.

Y is for why oh why did I not put up the Christmas lights earlier?

A space is to pause long enough to take a breath.

C is for all the fantastic Cooking that happens during this season. No matter where you go, there are bake sales and spiced cookies and wonderful smells in the air.

H is for helping others during the season. Whether it's shoveling a sidewalk, contributing to the food bank or offering a smile and space to help people relax and focus.

R is for Rum, again. Might interfere with the focus part of Point H above, but is great for the relaxation. Need I say more?

thegreenvillage.ie

I is for Intent - to carry through with all the good intentions you have thought about all year. Make them real and be able to start a new year on a great footing.

S is for Snow and the wonderful white Christmases we have around here. Snow for tobogganing, skiing, snow-shoeing, snowman-building, snowball fights, melting into ice for skating rinks, making icicles and throwing down someone's collar. That's my favourite.

T is for Too much eggnog. Always a risk, but for those who dream of eggnog in the middle of July (as does my darling wife), it's a risk they're willing to take. Just so you know, there is no such thing as too much rum.

M is for making Merry. Visiting with friends and neighbours and catching up on the happenings of the past few months. Relaxing and knowing that the year is almost done and a new year is about to begin.

A is for Anticipation. That feeling of eagerness and excitement that builds and builds and makes your insides wiggle (note - this is not the same wiggle you get when you have too much eggnog). The feeling that you get when you know special things are going to happen and you never want that feeling to end but you really, really want the feeling to end so you can get to the good parts but the expectation is one of the best parts…you know, this could go on forever.

en.wikipedia.org

S is for the Story. The original reason for the holiday and remembering that it's not about the presents, the food or the rum. It's about the opportunity to realize that we are all in this together, all over the world and Christmas is a time to make the effort to bring Peace and Goodwill to all.

From my family to yours, we wish you a wonderfully Merry Christmas and a fantastically Happy New Year!