Christmas Cheer

It's that time of year again. Christmas is here.

I love Christmas. The sights, the smells, the feeling of well being that goes along with presents under the tree. It's my favorite holiday. I admit to being a little like Buddy the Elf.

I can't wait to put up the tree, and usually badger my husband into getting everything down from the attic around mid-November.

We watch all the movies: It's a Wonderful Life, Christmas Vacation, Elf, A Christmas Carol--the list goes on. (I've also thrown in Garfield's Christmas--my daughter loves it as much as I do.) I shop all year long, but I do tend to hit the Black Friday sales too. It's a tradition in my family. My mother, sister, two aunts and I pile into one vehicle and see how many stores we can make it to before exhaustion sets in.

There is the usual holiday baking, eating, and gift giving. We always gather at my grandmother's house for Christmas Eve brunch, followed by the kids waking up before dawn on Christmas morning to open presents. Presents that, I admit, I spend too much on. I always annoy myself by doing that. I tell myself it's silly to spend so much on something that's over in ten minutes. But when I see the smiles on the faces of my children, I realize it was worth it.

Are they spoiled? Probably. But they honestly do not ask for or receive a lot of things throughout the year, so I tend to overdo the Christmas gifts.

As I write this blog post, I'm looking around the dispatch office. We've got our Christmas cheer happening in here too. The old, spindly tree is on top of the filing cabinet, the tattered bow leaning to one side. Paper stockings with the names of my fellow dispatchers are taped to the wall. The office Christmas luncheon is tomorrow. I'll miss it because I'm working twelve hours now and twelve hours tomorrow night.  I'll be sleeping through the luncheon. And I'll be right back in the dispatch chair for another twelve hours on Christmas night.

I'm okay with that. I hate not being with my family for the entire holiday, but someone has to be here to answer the 911 phones. And Christmas just happened to fall on my rotation this year.

All of this; the routine, the traditions, the meaning of the season, fills me with cheer. It's a celebration of life, of family, of the spirit of giving. It's the time of year my family celebrates the birth of Jesus. It's a time when most of my family gathers at one place, and the love is almost palpable. (We're a close knit bunch.)

I love it. So even when I have those bad calls at work, or my writing isn't going as smoothly as I want, or the cookies are charred around the edges--I'm happy. I hope you are happy too.

Merry Christmas!

And for those who don't celebrate the same way as my family does. . . I wish you the very best and much happiness as you celebrate in your own way.