All You Need is Love

I grew up with four siblings and young parents. Life was busy for my parents of five; with both working a full-time job and participating in many activities outside the home, family time was scarce.  As a child I looked forward to the Christmas holiday with great anticipation. Yes, receiving gifts was always exciting but what I enjoyed the most and what I remember with great fondness, is the extra time spent together as a family. My parents, made it so. This was a our time to focus on family, church and charity.

We always trimmed our Christmas tree together, just us. We cranked up the record player. I remember Sinatra and Elvis singing in the background as our father wrapped the tree lights perfectly and mother placed the tinsel just so.  We sipped eggnog and watched and waited anxiously for our turn to hang our favorite ornaments. Year after year I chose the same sweet ornaments; the ones with the spinning parts generated by the heat of the tree lights, the beautiful balls with angels perched on puffy clouds of spun fiberglass and the balls with stripes of bright color and loads of glitter. With each passing year, these special ornaments, became a touchstone for the joy and love I felt while sharing this time with my family.

This year family is scattered and far away, so I am cranking up the Elvis Christmas CD and bringing out the (now vintage!) ornaments to help keep me in touch with the girl that needed so little to feel the joy of Christmas. Do you have a way of tapping into the spirit of Christmas? Peace everyone.