'Tis The Season!

December is upon us.

I'm not even going to mention the fact that just yesterday we were basking in the sun at the pool. Well, not really... BUT it SEEMS like just yesterday. So I've been thinking about all the things I LOVE about this time of year. I've had a little more time to do that this year because for the first time in about 17 years, I'm not making outrageous amounts of peanut brittle and fudge in my kitchen. I will still be making these things to give away, but I'm not selling this year, and I've gotta tell you... it feels good!

As I've mentioned before, I love to bake. Starting about two weeks ago, my house has contained a continuous aroma of pumpkin spice something, gingerbread something, and chocolatey something. Creating yummy and beautiful goodness in my kitchen is something near and dear to my heart. So, for me... the season smells unlike any other.

The lights and colors are festive and make me happy. There's something about driving down any given street around the Christmas season and looking in people's windows. Seeing their cozy homes all lit up from the inside out. Watching the smoke rising out from their chimneys into the crisp air. The sights around me are warm and inviting.

The season of Christmas brings all sorts of emotions. I feel blessed to be a mom all during the year, but for some reason, more so around Christmas. Children bring magic to the season. Their spirits are contagious. Their smiles are genuine and bright. They are full of anticipation over all the traditions of the season and they find it hard to contain their excitement. I am happy to have my daily dose of childhood excitement, because even on the worst day of waiting in some ridiculous line, or fighting terrible traffic... my boys are ready to greet me with a hug and some story that will take every care away.

Some people get tired of Christmas music, and some don't even like it at all. I LOVE CHRISTMAS MUSIC! Isn't it true that you find yourself taken back to the age of your own childhood through the gift of Christmas music? I will be in my car listening to it, and suddenly I'll have a memory of singing this very song in front of a gymnasium full of parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles while wearing one of the many Christmas dresses that my mom made just for me. The songs of Jesus' birth always make me tear up because I LOVE to picture myself as one of those being there to witness it all. You know... like maybe one of those angels... or shepherds. The sounds of the season are sweet and full of sentiment.

'Tis the season to be grateful to experience it all. To experience the sights, smells, sounds and feelings that come from knowing that a Savior came to save ME. That a Father sent His son to die for ME. That He came in the same form as you and I... a sweet little baby. Born to a mother who loved Him with all her heart. Born with the greatest purpose... to be our King.