Christmas: Favorite Things

The holiday season can be a very chaotic time for many.  People are rushing around to buy loads of presents for loved ones to honor a long-standing tradition.  This need to rush around and buy, buy, buy during the holidays has become the framework for retail madness and human over-consumption of insane proportions.  I do not even know if the reality of it all really sets in with the majority of people or not?  It seems obvious to me that the true meaning of the holidays has not only been compromised but completely lost and buried in paper packages, tied up with strings.  What are some of your truly favorite things about the holidays?

My favorite things about the holidays:

Baking Orange-Cranberry Bread
Making Pizzelles like my Grandma used to make when I was a child.
Making fires with my Brother on Christmas Eve.
Playing board games with my family at holiday gatherings.
Watching children's eyes light up as they gaze at the holiday lights all around town.
Hearing people raise their voices in song at various gatherings and events.
Witnessing all the great acts of humanity that come in many forms; food donations, toys for tots, caring for the homeless, individual acts of kindness toward others and so much more.
Hearing all of those wonderful familiar old Christmas songs: Christmas Time is Here (Vince Guaraldi), Happy Xmas, Feliz Navidad, The Christmas Song, Do They Know It's Christmas, The Chipmunk Song and many more.
The way the landscape looks after the first real dusting of snow.
Singing Christmas Carols.
Seeing my daughter's face on Christmas morning.
All the unique, home-made gifts that people take the special care in creating for others, that come straight form the heart.
Snuggling under a blanket by the fire.
Hugs and the warm feeling of being surrounded by friends and family.
Sharing stories of Christmas' past with loved ones.
Looking through old holiday photos and films from days gone by.


These are just a few of my favorite things from the holidays.
Feel free to share your favorite things and what they mean to you.

Happy Holidays to you and yours! May your holiday season be filled with wonder and the joy of creating amazing memories to last a lifetime!

In the Autumn of My Childhood

     I remember being so small that it was a great struggle to use a rake to push those leaves into a pile.  Back then, it was easier for me to rake up leaves with my hands and keep scooping all my little piles until I had one grand pile.  Well, at least it seemed like a grand pile of leaves to me when I was no more than five years old.  All of that running around, collecting leaves and piling them up did not seem like work at all.  I had an ultimate goal in mind.  I wanted to run and jump into the middle of that mountain of leaves and get lost in the fun and the fragrance of the wet leaves.  My Brother and I found such joy on those autumn days. 
     My daughter is now piling up the mountains of autumn leaves with great joy on her face.  It is a different time for me now.  It is my turn to watch in awe as she toils to build the mountains of red, orange, golden and brown and says, "Watch me, Mom!" and then takes a dive and the leaves scatter.
So, in the autumn of my childhood, I built my mountain of colors.  Did you build one too?