Happy Holidays!

I just wanted to take some time and share a Christmas story with you. In the chaos of the season, sometimes we forget...

I work at a school for emotionally disabled children. These kids are damaged beyond belief by genetics and circumstances, many from unspeakable abuses at the hands of those that they love and trust the most. I had an encounter with one of our younger kids yesterday that brought tears to my eyes.
It was recently revealed that this child has been repeatedly sexually abused by someone in his household. He's been having great difficulty at school lately, erupting in rages and then collapsing in heart-wrenching sobs. I approached the boy to offer him a "Merry Christmas" greeting. His eyes fixed on the cheap, loud jingle bell I had dangling from my neck. In an almost inaudible voice, I heard him say, "I used to have a bell like that and I wore it every year. It's all rusted now." His eyes dropped to his lap and a sad look clouded over him. I slowly removed the bell and placed it over his head and around his neck. The boy gently cradled the bell in his hands and said softly, "It was just like this one." Not understanding that I had given him the bell, I said, "You can keep it." His eyes lifted to meet my gaze and a look of disbelief and amazement swept over his face. "I can keep it? It's mine?" I smiled and assured him that he could keep it.

Seeing this child's face light up over such a simple gift was overwhelming for me and I had to leave the room. I can only hope that this little Christmas bell rings for him for a very long time.

Merry Christmas.

Holiday Crunch Time

It's that time of year!

Every Christmas I find that I cannot enjoy the holiday unless I put out all the little items that recall memories of Christmas' past. While this may sound like a sweet and sentimental tradition, it has become a major holiday event in my home, one that harks headaches, frustrations and numerous runs to Home Depot to pick up lights, extension cords and duct tape.

This one-day marathon event begins at the crack of dawn (I cannot stay in bed as my mind wakes with the thoughts of all the work I need to get done). It ends when I have put up the last ornament and turned on every window candle in the house OR when I collapse from sheer exhaustion, whichever comes first.

The evening before "the big event," I have a wild panic that sweeps over me. Visions of broken bulbs, tangled garland and finding where I put the timer for the spotlight dance through my head, making sleep difficult.

I will begin the day cleaning the house. I refuse to put up the decorations until every last dust bunny has surrendered. I vacuum, dust, wash and polish. ...and then decorating begins.

I'll drag boxes up and down the stairs for hours, carefully unpacking and placing items all over the house. Then I'll pack all the displaced items and haul them back down the stairs. This will all be accomplished with the precision and focus of a madwoman.

I obsess over the smallest details, wondering if that snowman would look better here, or there. Eventually, I carefully place each item in the exact same spot it was in the previous year.

By the time all this is over, I look and feel like a woman who has been trekking through the jungle: totally exhausted, dripping in sweat, hair flying. Not a pretty picture.

What is wrong with me! Every Christmas I pledge to myself that this will not happen. When Christmas is over, I gently pack away all my beloved holiday treasures, vowing that I am saying goodbye for the last time. I always assure myself that NEXT year, I will minimize the decorating and keep everything simple.

But when all is said and done, Christmas just isn't the same without those small reminders of holidays past. Surrounded by every Christmas I have known and comforted by the familiar, I am filled with warmth. It's all worth it!

Where Did Thanksgiving Go?

Here it is, the weekend before Thanksgiving. I can't believe it's here. Maybe that's because all the TV ads and stores are screaming at us to begin our Christmas shopping. Where did Thanksgiving go?

I suppose the retail industry has the need to boost sales with early-shopping specials. That's all well and good. However, I think it's taking it WAY too far when I hear Christmas carols while I'm shopping for Halloween decorations. Why can't they wait until after Thanksgiving? We'll still have the same number of people to buy gifts for.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It evokes some of the fondest memories of my childhood: the smell of turkey roasting all day; the anticipation of taking that first bite of delicious, juicy turkey; sitting at the "kids table"; the hot-muggy feeling in the kitchen mingled with the hustle and bustle of activity; the sounds of family members talking and laughing; arguing over the prized legs; pulling on the wishbone until it snapped and a "winner" declared, secure in the knowledge that their wish would come true; leftovers; the satisfying feeling of a full belly and heart.

Thanksgiving, for me, has always meant a time to enjoy the simpler pleasures of good food, loving family and friends. It's a holiday that comes from the heart and nurtures the soul. I always feel connected to a larger force, that I am not alone in this world and thankful for all the blessings of my life.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.