Thursday, November 29, 2012

Fa-la-la-la-la...la-la-la-la

I LOVE the holiday season!  Yes, the whole season.  And everything about it. 

The most important reason that I adore this season is that I love that the whole world is reminded (whether they choose to believe or not) that my Savior, Jesus Christ, left the glory of heaven to be born to a virgin in a stable. 

My senses are in overdrive during this season.  The visual delights abound with bright decorations and lights.  LIGHTS!   I absolutely adore Christmas lights!  Gaudy or classy, I love them all.  I turn into a small child when surrounded by night painted with dazzling electric color.  Christmas wrapping paper and ribbon.  Reds, greens, golds, silvers, blues,....

The sounds of Christmas....oh the sounds.  The doorbell ringing to alert me of another package arriving at my door.  Not gifts for me, but Amazon goodies ordered for others.  It's almost as good as getting my own presents!  And the Christmas music!  Sacred or secular.  I love it all!  Most days from November 1st to December 25th, I have the music cranked up.  (And, to be totally honest, I do have brief periods of time in June and July that I choose to listen to "Christmas Radio" on Pandora.) ....Okay, my close friends are going to say, "But what about those few songs that make you turn the station on the radio, or give a thumbs down on Pandora?"  Yes, there are a few too-sappy-make-me-wanna-puke songs played during the Christmas season that I really, really don't like.  They are few and far between and I will not mention the names in case they happen to be at the top of your play list.

The smells of Christmas baking.  Cinnamon, sugar, chocolate, peppermint.....yummm,mmm,mmm!  The inviting aroma of the gift shops.  The evergreen scent that wafts around as I pass the fresh cut trees and garland outside my local grocery store. 

Do I really need to mention the tastes of this season?  Yes, yes I do!  Peppermint mocha Coffee-mate Creamer.  (I know that it is available year round, but I refuse to purchase it until now.)  Starbuck's Cranberry Bliss Bars...I am fairly sure that this recipe was created in the Garden of Eden and passed down through the centuries.  Christmas cookies.  Admit it, the same cookie just doesn't taste the same when it's any other shape or sprinkled with non-Christmas colors. 

There's an energy during this time of year.  The hustle and bustle.  The crispness in the air.  I love it.  Call me crazy, but I really, really do.  This is the time of year that my house feels most like a home.  I can come in from the cold to the enveloping warmth of my home and be surrounded by my favorite sights, sounds, smells, and tastes.

Celebrations are at an all time high this time of year.  And because these celebrations combine everything I love about the season with a good dose of cheer and friendship, I bask in them. 

So, I've gushed about my love for this time of the year.  Now, I must get back to "decking the halls".

Merry Christmas!!!!!