What Does Christmas Mean To You?

In a month’s time, Christmas will be over.  Can you believe it?  Have you started decorating or shopping yet?  Have you felt the excitement in twinkling lights and frosty weather?  I am a Christmas lover as you can probably tell.

I like simplicity during Christmas.  I love to put up the creche and remember what the holiday is truly about – love and peace.  The warmth of a roaring fire and loving family surrounding me fills my heart with gratitude for life itself.  Peace and love hopefully will reign supreme this holiday season with human kindness spreading its gentle wings upon the earth.  At least that’s what I’m praying for this year.

I love to go to church during the Christmas season and sing all of the old hymns.  When I was younger, I was in the church choir and I adored singing at Christmas masses more than any other time of year.  The magic of Christmas love has stayed with me even though I’m older.  I’ve never quite lost that childhood wonder and Christmas spirit.

Even as a child, I didn’t wanted to grow up during Christmas.  I never told my parents when I stopped believing in Santa as I loved the magic of Christmas morning and I still do!  I don’t know why I’ve always been so enraptured with Christmas.  It’s just innate in me.  I often wonder if I should move to a Christmas village and live there year round or if by doing that, it would make me jaded for my favorite holiday?  Do any of you live in a Christmas village?  Can you tell me what it’s like to have Christmas everyday?

So back to my original question, what does Christmas mean to you?  Sleigh bells ringing?  Snow falling gently on the ground?  Merry moments with family and friends?  Hot toddies by the fire with a special person?  Wrapping special presents to delight and show our love for others?  Unwrapping special trinkets bought by others with us in mind?  Showing the sanctity of the holiday?  Feeling grateful for all that we have?  Sharing what we have with others through giving?  Blessing others and sharing our heartlights?  Surrounding ourselves with peace and love?  Forgiving the past and sharing The Presents of Presence?

Please share with me!

Shine On!

xo

 

Angelic Love

Whether we are filled with joy or grief, our angels are close to us,

speaking to our hearts of God’s love. -Eileen Elias Freeman

Merry Christmas to All ~

May you know how much you are loved today and everyday.

May the Magic of Christmas fill your heart, your mind and your soul.

May you experience the blessings of this wondrous season.

May you share the bounty given to you.

May you think of others today and not so much yourself.

May you remember your loved ones, both near and far.

May your presence shine like the star in Bethlehem.

May you believe in the beauty of life.

Shine On!

xo

Do you believe in Angels?

Christmas is…

CHRISTMAS- (kris`-muhs) noun:

THE TIME OF YEAR WHEN…

1) Trees are decorated with a lifetime of memories.

2) Lights twinkle & people are merry.

3) The smell of hot chocolate and peppermint linger in the air.

4) Shoppers rush home with their treasures.

5) Ribbons & paper clutter the table.

6) People are trying not to be naughty, but nice.

7) Little ones are counting the days ‘til Santa will arrive.

8) Everything glitters.

9) Everyone samples the yummy goodies coming from the kitchen.

10) Family & friends gather together.

11) The whole world stops to consider a baby in a manger.

Shine On!

xo

Daily Prompt: Memories of Holidays Past

What is your very favorite holiday? Recount the specific memory or memories that have made that holiday special to you.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/12/16/prompt-holidays-past/

Fall Has Arrived…

Fall has arrived.  Behold the changing leaves, and enjoy the crisp breeze.  Let your eyes take in the bursts of color.  Transformation is afoot and hope is in the air. ~ Unknown

Well this morning has proved to me that Autumn has arrived with certainty.  Yesterday Sissy and family came for dinner and she was humming a Christmas tune which has now settled in my brain.  ‘Tis the season and oh what fun it is to ride!  I love the chill in the air, the gem-colored falling leaves and the beginning to look a lot like Christmas feel to the air!  I am not in a hurry for ol’ Saint Nick to arrive.  I don’t rush the holiday season at all.  But I do adore the world when we are all happier and it seems to me that the holiday season brings out the best in us all!

So if the chill in the air puts a happy tune in your heart like me ~ let’s transform our world now with hope in the air and in our hearts!

Shine On!

xo

Christmas All Year Long…

Christmas is a little bit of home that we hold in our hearts

Have you noticed that a few blogs have snow gently falling?  How cool is that?  Thanks WordPress as the virtual snow just raised my spirits up a notch!  My heartfelt thanks to my blogger friend David at http://davidkanigan.com/  for kindly letting me in on the way to make it snow!  FYI:  You should stop by and see him as well ~ he’s a master of cool stuff!

I love snow, don’t you?  Watching it gently fall outside while I”m cozy and nestled warmly inside?  Ahh…it’s beginning to feel a bit like Christmas…and it feels so good!  Now if the Jersey weather would just be less tropical, I’d be happy!  I know, I know, there’s time for cold ~ I agree…but a nip in the air would make it feel more like Christmas!

Lucky for me, I found this card last night when I was working and when I found this one, I knew that I had to use it for my inspiration.  You see, for me, it brings up the possibility that if we were to keep that little bit of home in our hearts all year long, we could make the Christmas Spirit last all year long…how wonderful would that be?  Can you imagine it?  Wouldn’t you like it?  A bit of holiday spirit everyday?!

Imagine a Baker’s Dozen of Warm, Gooey Ways Our Lives Would Change

When We Keep the Christmas Spirit in Our Hearts for 12 Months

1.  We feel the love and generosity in the air all year long.

2.  Everyone stays on their best behavior so that Santa and his Elves don’t put them on the Naughty List!

3.  More people are singing and smiling everyday!

4.  The Season of Giving and of World Peace is an everyday occurrence.

5.  Gratefulness is a daily sentiment ~ instead of tipping only at Christmas!

6.  Happy memories with family and friends occur more often!

7.  Reminiscing about those who have passed keeps their memories alive.

8.  A lightness in heart keeps people huggable.

9.  We sit down and enjoy our meals ~ with our families and friends!

10.  We send cards filled with loving words and pictures of our families and connect more often!

11.  I Believe is a sentiment heard more often than not!

12.  We enjoy the twinkling of lights and take time to contemplate their beauty.

13.  We embrace The Presents of Presence each and everyday!

Join me…let’s keep the Holiday Spirit glowing!

Keep Twinkling and Shine On!

xo

In my search for a good  follow up to yesterday’s post, I checked out the newest cards to find one as my inspiration.  You may not know that most of the images that I feature in my blog are actual cards from my business which I use to springboard my blog post ~ hopefully bringing to you, a bit of inspiration.  If the picture/card is not from the card catalog, then it’s one that I made in about 5 minutes from my own photo and the templates/elements of the free system.  If you want to try it for yourself, you can click below…

http://www.rememberchristmas.com/deanery

Got Christmas Spirit for me?

It’s December 2nd and I’m having a tough time getting into the holiday spirit this year which is so very unlike me!  I am the gal who begins decorating the minute we leave my inlaws house after Thanksgiving dinner!  My enthusiasm begins immediately as I scurry to the basement to begin to bring up all of the holiday paraphernalia ~ an old Santa hat on my head, dancing around, singing off-key Christmas tunes by myself, in utter glee that my favorite season has finally begun!  My family is used to me doing this and the boys/hubby just laugh because they know my joy knows no bounds when it comes to Christmas.

For I STILL BELIEVE!

But this year, it’s different and I’m not sure the reason for it…but I will say, that I don’t like it!  Perhaps it’s the sadness that envelopes my family occasionally, knowing that this will be our first Christmas without my Dad.  Perhaps it’s having endured 3 surgeries thus far this year and in anticipation of my next one on December 10th ~ knowing that I’ll be laid up until almost Christmas Eve.  Perhaps it’s because our church now sings these new holiday songs which nobody knows and not the tried and true beautiful hymns of my memories during Advent.  Perhaps it’s the overload of dealing with the mountains of paperwork and extra responsibility required of me as Executor to Dad’s estate and now taking care of Mom’s affairs as well.  Perhaps it’s just me.

I guess it’s another lesson in my life ~ getting a glimpse into the world of those who don’t carry the Christmas Spirit in their hearts.  For whatever reason, there are people who don’t find the twinkling of lights, the generosity of spirit and the beauty of a loving heart contagious.  It’s not about religion either, as for me, I embrace the holiday spirit no matter if you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa or any other Holiday as long as you do it with a sprinkling of the Spirit of Love!

I’m trying to conjure up my usual enthusiasm…

I’ve watched a few Christmas specials on tv ~ ELF, Eloise at Christmastime (I’m her in my head as a child, but not in reality!), and even put the dvd of Polar Express on!  I’ve got my favorite Fresh Balsam candle burning to make my house smell like my favorite live Christmas tree (which always puts me in the mood).  I’ve had Christmas Carols playing on the radio, I’ve put out a few of the elves and Christmas red and greens, but my spirits haven’t come up yet.

This situation plagues me as even when I was diagnosed with cancer, I still had the Christmas Spirit ~ and I was diagnosed on New Year’s Eve, having endured a biopsy which I was assured wasn’t cancer on December 26th, right after I hosted our entire family to Christmas dinner…which I remember, I LOVED because it was our whole family together, smiling, laughing and exchanging thoughtful gifts.  It’s the magic in Christmas which I adore…the magic of giving, of receiving and of actually feeling the love in the air!  It’s Holiday Spirit ~ when everyone is on their good behavior so that Santa doesn’t think you are naughty!

I’m usually the one who enjoys helping you ~ but perhaps you can help me today. 

Surely I’ll find my holiday spirit soon, but in the meantime, please tell me about yours! 

Like Auntie Mame, I need a little Christmas now…

Shine On and Enjoy!

xoxo