Wonderfully Merry

When the air starts getting cooler, and the leaves begin to flutter down from the trees, I always start to feel a hint of nostalgia and a stirring of my spirit.  At this time of year I love the smell of firewood outside, wearing my very worn-out pair of flannel pj's, snuggling in my furry socks, and the warmth of our home.  

Some of my  favorite childhood memories are of helping my mom decorate the house for every holiday.  From St. Patrick's Day to Christmas Day and everything in between; our house was, by far, the most festive house around.  I remember looking forward to putting up our Christmas tree after dinner on Thanksgiving night...it was tradition, and I treasured it.   I loved looking at all of the ornaments that we had collected over the years; the ones that my brother and I made, the ones that were trip souvenirs, and the ones that were passed down from my grandparents from when my mother was a little girl.  We would decorate the tree while listening to Christmas music, reminiscing about the past, and looking forward to the new year.

This will be the first year of my life that I won't spend any of the Christmas season with my family.  I can't help but feel a twinge of sadness when I think of all of the holiday joy that I will be missing with them.  This weekend while feeling very sorry for myself, I suddenly had a brilliant idea.  Well, brilliant for me...not so much for Chris!   

With the help of my amazingly sweet husband, I rummaged through the attic and found all of my Christmas decorations.  It took me all day on Saturday, but I am proud to say that my entire house is now wonderfully merry!  The garland is hung, the stockings our out, and we even have presents wrapped and under our tree (this largely attributed my aforementioned mother!).  Oh, it is so festive, I can hardly stand it!  And as I decorated, I thought of my other home...the one in Texas that my mama was decorating at the same exact moment as I...and it made me realize how truly blessed I am.