My Christmas Wish...

This is the last and final post I will make for the holiday. I want to thank you for coming along on this journey of memories, hopes, dreams, and wishes. I've regained some of my holiday spirit and that is in a big way due to you, my readers.

If you had stopped reading these posts, I would probably have stopped writing them. I lost followers on Facebook over these posts, but you know what? I don't really care. I usually make one blog post a week...if I remember. This is the first time I have posted on a daily basis and I've really loved it. I've got to stroll down memory lane with you and let you see into my world. I've noticed my posts involved a lot of delicious food, lots of family, loads of laughter, and so much more love than a heart can hold. I've stopped to count my blessings along this journey and I've realized that there wasn't one of these posts that was really about the material things the holidays brings us. It was all about the magick that makes the holiday special.

So, I am going to leave you with this wish: May you and yours be healthy and happy! May you find the courage you need to live out loud. May you always believe...in yourself, others, the world, and magick. May you know how to get back up when life knocks you down. And may you find happiness in even the darkest moments! Merry Christmas from my house to yours!

Christmas 1977

Yesterday's post wasn't really a memory, but yet, in some ways, it was. I know what is like to spend a holiday alone. I've spent enough holidays either working or curled up on the couch with my dog to realize it sucks to be alone for the holidays.

Today, however, is a different day. This memory comes from the year 1977. (I'm giving away my age with this one.) I was new big sister and, while I wasn't overly fond of the brat...ahem, baby, he was my little brother.

This was the Christmas that I got a bean bag chair. It was black, shiny, and squishy. My mom had bubbleloaf (monkey bread to the rest of you) baking in the oven. I was up at the buttcrack of dawn to inspect the gifts Santa had brought. I remember sitting on the floor while Dad sat on the couch with a cup of coffee. Mom had gone in to change the beast...I mean, baby. Mom put him on the floor to crawl out to the family room/kitchen/dining room and he promptly crawled into my new bean bag chair, made himself comfortable, and promptly fell back to sleep.

I will admit that I loved that little booger...for the most part. He was chubby and cute...usually But there is actually a picture of that baby sound asleep on my Christmas  present...it is probably my favorite of him to this day.


I do remember singing this song that holiday:

And this song was one I had to sing for the Christmas program at church:

Love Actually...

Love. It is a four letter word and some people liken it to the other four letter words that cause much disdain. Love actually is what the holidays are all about.

I'm a big fan of the movie "Love Actually" and this is one of my favorite quotes:

For me, this is what the holidays are all about...LOVE. It is about loving your friends, your neighbors, your parents, your siblings, your children, your partner/significant other, yourself. It is about celebrating that love wherever you might find yourself.

Love is visible everywhere you look. You may have to look harder in some places, but look around your world and you will find love is actually quite prevalent. It is the young man shoveling his elderly neighbor's sidewalk. It is the mother holding her child's hand while shopping. It is the couple strolling down the street looking at the window displays. In this world when so many are discouraged and upset with the way things are going...LOVE actually exists.

So many people celebrate the holidays alone or with a mish mash of friends. Not everyone has a family to bicker with, to share a meal with, to argue about who's team is the better team with, to LOVE. We have elderly people who sit in their homes with no family visits. We have families who are spread across the country with no way of getting to each other. We have men and women in the military who are forced to be away from their families for the holidays. Yet, if you look closely, you'll find that LOVE is still alive within this world.

For my first choice today, I give you:

And here is my second choice: 

My Itchy and Scratchy Christmas

As I've said before, the holidays are rough for me. But let me tell you about one Christmas where I was absolutely miserable!

It was my freshman year of high school and I was so tired. I went to help Grandma get ready for our Christmas Eve gathering. I wasn't feeling Christmasy or anything close to happy. I was simply exhausted. We got everything ready and I went in on Grandmas bed to lie down. Everyone brought their coats in to lay on Grandma's bed, but I didn't care. I just wanted a dark room with a comfy bed. Grandma had to do her pre-present opening picture of us grandkids in front of the tree. I remember being upset and surly. Dad got on to me about my attitude and told me I needed to straighten up. I remember tears coming to my eyes...that's how miserable I was.

We did the whole Christmas thing and visited for a bit before we went home. I went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. My mom called in to me asking if I had any red spots. I did. I had them on my back, my chest, my stomach...I had come down with chicken pox! Merry Christmas to me, right?

I remember Dad had to run back to Grandma's house to get calamine lotion. We lived 20 minutes from town and it's not as if anything were open. Mom painted my spots with polka dots of pink and sent me to bed. I didn't want to celebrate Christmas. I wanted to sleep. The virus wore me out completely. But instead I got up and celebrated...reluctantly. I spent my entire holiday break with those damn red spots. My brother came down with them the week after and ended up missing school! LOL

Here's my holiday music picks for today:

This has to be one of my favorite songs simply because I grew up loving the Chipmunks. Alvin, Simon, and Theodore were the best!

I always loved Snoopy and the gang! They represented every holiday to me. I never missed an episode of their specials.

I definitely don't miss the chicken pox, but there are certainly pieces of my childhood that make me long for those days.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was always a HUGE deal in my family. We would all go to Grandma's for a dinner of cold cuts, baked beans, potato salad, and snacks. My mom would bring trays of goodies. We would all gather to hang out and celebrate.

But it was the lead up to Christmas Eve that I remember most. Us grandkids would show up to help Grandma decorate her house. Sometimes it was just Grandma and me. However, it was always fun. Then, I'd help Grandma make up the treats she always provided: Chex mix, goodie bars, date bars, and such. We would hang out and talk. It was one of the best times! Grandma loved having her grandkids around and she loved us all so much. The bond she and I had was unique because I was her only granddaughter.

Grandma had a fake tree every year, but there was always one ornament that she'd put on herself. It was a pinkish purple and white ball. It was the first ornament she and Grandpa bought their first Christmas as a married couple. All the rest of her ornaments had stories as well, but that one was always my favorite.

While we baked and prepared for Christmas Eve, Nat King Cole would serenade us.

And while this may seem disrespectful to some, if you knew my Grandma, you'd understand how respectful it truly is. She and my cousin had this running joke when this song first hit the airwaves and this became one of her favorite Christmas songs. So, in memory of my dear Grandma with the  twisted sense of humor (should I mention that my Grandma was a fan of Queen and Smashing Pumpkins?), here is my second choice for today:

Angels Among Us

Let me share a memory that not a lot of people are aware of.

Newly divorced and living in a new town with no friends, I celebrated my first holiday with just my darling boy and me. I wasn't working. I was a broke-ass college student. I was depressed and not looking forward to Christmas. There was no tree. I had put up a few decorations, but there was absolutely no gifts. I felt like a shitty canine mom.

I'm never one to ask for anything because I'm a big believer in only taking what I earn. However, I was a member of a Facebook group and I asked for prayers, positive energy, and good vibes. What ended up happening showed me more love than I can express. This group of people from around the world came together to make Diesel's Christmas a special one. He got presents from around the world. He got a new dog bed, toys galore, a new leather collar, treats, and so much love.

What's funny is that we haven't been the only recipients of the generosity. So many people have been blessed. Even this year, I got a message from a friend who asked if there was anything we needed. I told her that I didn't, but she still sent us gifts. The love continues to grow and I am blessed to be in the presence of angels. My sincerest wish is that someday I will be able to pay all of these blessings forward.

Today's first choice is sort of an obvious choice:

This song always brings a tear to my eye. The message is so deep and profound. Not all angels have wings that are visible. Oftentimes, we are entertaining angels unaware.

And my second choice is this one: