I Love Everything About Christmas

Today's Christmas should mean 

creating happy hours for

tomorrow and reliving

those of yesterday.

~Gladys Tabor~

So beautiful this morning. The woods have sparkles on the branches. Pristine snow with no footprints except for the little animals that visited during the night. Bird feeders with a thick topping of snow. Driveway and roads plowed today. Chimneys puffing out a plume of smoke across the street.
A sense of calm this morning. Looking for the words to describe my feelings.A Christmas like no other. Celebrated early and a gift a day since then ....doesn't quite do it for me. Traditions are hard to ignore, but we are doing our best. Joe started his pre surgery list of things to do to prepare. Lists will have to be made.

But that will come later today. Right now....looking out the window and being blinded by the light and thinking back to the time when I would be receiving a box from Georgia.My old gardening buddy, Ruth, moved to Georgia after living in our little town for almost 80 yrs. The move would be difficult, but she and Harold (her husband) were looking forward to living close to their son. Her beloved garden was the last thing that she looked at as they pulled out of the driveway, early in the morning. Would she have a garden in Georgia...she wondered? Well, she needn't have worried...she had a garden full of beautiful flowers and a surprise...some holly bushes like she had at her old house. The bushes were loaded with berries and knowing how much I loved holly, she set to work on a beautiful box to send me.. Christmas week. I got a note saying that there was a package at the post office....so excitedly I made the short trip to town.It was a long box...and I heard rustling inside. When I got home, I couldn't wait to open it. She had wrapped it all in Christmas tissue....the first thing to hit me was the wonderful scent of rosemary. She had cut several long branches to place in the box along with my favorite...holly. Bright green, crisp leaves with sharp points and beautiful red berries.She had tucked in some other Christmas things and a little book. What a wonderful surprise that Christmas week. I had so much holly, that I called a friend to share. She loved holly too and ever since then, she has commented on the Christmas long ago, when we both enjoyed Ruth's treat.I still have a little packet full of the rosemary that she sent.

Rosemary, holly, rose hips, evergreen boughs, amaryllis, poinsettias, and paper whites. These are a few of my favorite things at Christmas time.I love everything about Christmas...
Balisha