My Magical Christmas...

My Magical Christmas

As Christmas is fast approaching I can't help but think about my childhood Christmas experiences...let's just say they were awesome!  This time of year can be so busy and commercialized that we lose focus.  We live in a time with more conveniences yet we're still short on time.  I've been lacking Christmas spirit this year but I will make sure my boys don't know it.  After all isn't that what parents do?  We put aside our feelings for those of our children!

This is me and my first friend, my cousin Tyson.  He left this world way too young and left a huge hole, but almost every childhood memory I have includes him!  Reminds me of that song by Kenny Chesney "Who You'd Be Today"

All I can say is that my parents were amazing at making sure every childhood Christmas memory I have was super and magical.  After visiting with some friends I realized that not everyone has these memories of Christmas...and that makes me sad.  So I have really been thinking back to my childhood Christmas memories and I realize it had little to do with the gifts but with the family and feeling of being surrounded by love.  My earliest memories start when I was probably 5...and this is how I remember it...we would go to my sister's house (my sister is 17 years older) on Christmas Eve and celebrate with food and presents.  I don't remember exactly what food, just that it was always my favorite and that my sister always made sure I was spoiled with her attention!  Notice I said her attention and not stuff!  Then we would camp out on her living room floor and the adults would talk and watch tv until I fell asleep...now this is where it gets fun!  Sometime during the night my parents would wake me up and say it was time to get on the road.  So in my pjs they would load me in the back seat and tell me to hang up my stocking in the window.  My dad would turn on the only radio station that played all night on Christmas and I would hear the announcer tracking Santa.  My parents drove what seemed like forever but was just about 3 hours and some how managed to get me inside my Granny's house still asleep before Christmas morning!  I can't even imagine making that happen with my boys!  Now I think logistics as a parent...packing, timing, driving, keeping things a surprise...my parents were awesome!  Then I would wake up Christmas morning at my Granny's and Santa would have found me there!  Not long after opening Santa gifts the house became grand central.  My dad's sisters and brother and cousins and great grandparents all began showing up for the Christmas Day festivities. I don't remember anything but pure fun!  I'm sure there was tension here and there with that many people and their personalities but all I remember is fun...playing, eating, playing, fun!  I don't remember my Granny's house being too small for the huge crowd!  I remember her tree was awesome and huge...I have that tree now and it seems so small!  It's funny how things seem growing up compared to how they are when you're an adult.

I guess I am just now realizing how magical my childhood was and I'm hoping I pass that on to my boys!  It was magical because of the feelings of love and acceptance and protection not because of what I opened in a package!  I grew up thinking everyone had that kind of childhood and of course now I understand that not many did.  Now I'm going to keep that tradition going for my kids and some day grandkids.  I've already got lots of ideas of how I can make this feeling for my kids and their kids, but one thing I know for sure is that I will be flexible...my parents were always flexible!

A magical Christmas filled with love...and I can't help but hear my dad say, "Live everyday like it's Christmas!"  He really did and had understanding of how fast life goes...so I will do my best to find my magical Christmas and pass it on to my boys...even when it's not how I have planned or things don't go like I think they should!  What better way to live...so here's to "Living everyday like it's Christmas!"  and you know KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON!