What I Love about CHRISTMAS

What I Love about CHRISTMAS!

C- Christ. This is the reason that we celebrate the holiday.

H- Home. There is no place like home (or my sister’s house) for the holidays. My parents made the holidays so fun. I have innumerable Christmas memories. Maybe this means I am getting old—when Christmases past are fun to remember.

R- Relaxing in front of the Christmas tree. It has to be at night, with all the lights in the room off except for the tree. I love colored lights on Christmas trees—probably a carryover from my childhood too when we had the big lights on the tree and reflectors behind the lights. I think my parents threw them away, but I image they could be a collector’s item today.

I- Inspirational short stories about the Christmas spirit. I like reading these on the days in snows….

S-Snow. As long as I can stay home, read a good book and watch it fall. I don’t like driving in it.

T- Treats. My mom is the best candy (including homemade chocolates), bread, cookie, and all-around treat maker. Yum. Every year she would load up holiday plates with goodies and we would deliver them to friends and family. It was quite the production.

M- Music. I love to listen to Christmas music, though it has to be after Thanksgiving! This year I went with my parents to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert. It was fabulous. I really enjoyed listening to Brian Stokes Mitchell, especially when he sang “New Words.” It almost made me cry.

A- Being the favorite Aunt. I love being able to buy gifts for my nieces and nephews. One year I was at my sister’s house and the note the kids left for Santa included the following, “P.S. Rosemary is here too. I don’t know what she wants.”

S- Smell. There is nothing like the smell of a fresh cut pine tree. That is one of those Christmas memories—going out and cutting a tree on our property or having one of our home teachers from church bring us one. Even a tree from the tree lot doesn’t compare with freshness and aroma. Nothing says Christmas like pine.