This evening is the first time I’ve really been able to sit and enjoy our Christmas tree. I’m baking cookies and listening to Christmas music. My boys are upstairs on the playstation making an enormous amount of noise. My husband is still at work, doing what he does to give us this life. It sounds like a Hallmark card doesn’t it? Make no mistake, it is not, but I’m going to drink in this moment of quiet joy.

I’m looking over the ornaments and smiling over each one. Almost every single one tells a story. There are the boys’ preschool and elementary ornaments that make me tear up. The family photos turned into keepsake ornaments. The baby’s first ornaments. The our first Christmas ornaments. The 1999 and 2000 ornaments celebrating our turn of the century survival—both times. IYKYK.

To my right on the countertop are the boys’ preschool handprint reindeer from the 3 year old class and their handprint Santa plates for cookies from the 4 year old class. The boys are not twins, but they attended the same preschool within a similar time frame, so I revel in the continuity of artwork Their spring flowers footprints hang over my washing machine!

Last night during our drive to see the Rock City Lights and visit Santa, I asked everyone if they had any “iconic” Christmas moments. I guess I didn’t mean iconic exactly, but I couldn’t really think of a word to express myself. I said, do you have a memory or a moment when you just know it’s Christmas? We all shared one. The appearance of Chris our Elf on December 1st, the Advent Wreath, Mimi’s house on Christmas Eve.

If you are old enough to remember 33rpm records on the record player, you may remember stories recorded on albums. We had three story albums that I remember: Disney’s The Fox and the Hound, Annie, and Frosty the Snowman. It wasn’t really Christmas time until we turned that record player on and listened to the story while decorating the tree. I always tried to be ready for the halfway point, so I could flip the record and finish the story with minimal interruption! I must have played that record a thousand times. I wish I still had it. Alas it went the way of record players in general.

Sending you and yours warm wishes for health and happiness. See y’all in the New Year if not before.

Love Y’all, Marla