Christmas Spirit

It is Christmas day and Jenn at J-Online passed on a little Christmas spirit to me. I'm going to list at least five things I love about Christmas and then pass it on.

1. Christmas lights. In the short days and long nights of winter, all those twinkling lights have a special magic. After all, light in the darkness. What's better than that?


2. Ornaments for the tree. I love how the ornaments are memories that connect us to our families, our childhoods or other people in our lives who gave them as gifts. It's lovely to take them out once a year and think about those connections and that history, from ornaments that I loved a child to those that friends made to those my grandparents brought with them when they came to America.


3. The Christmas tree (of course). If I love the lights and ornaments, it probably goes without saying that I love the tree. When I was little, I used to turn out all the lights and just sit and stare and that shiny, sparkly tree. It's the most magical thing ever.


4. Watching It's a Wonderful Life (the very best movie ever) over and over.


5. Watching all my other Christmas favorites with Jean Shepherd's A Christmas Story and those old Rudolph specials at the top of the list.


6. Christmas cookies! Yum!


7. Christmas cards and letters. I love writing and receiving them. It can be hard to keep up with friends and family around the world -- especially those who aren't comfortable on the computer -- and this is the one time of year I'm guaranteed to send out a little piece of us and get back a little piece of so many of the people who mean the most to me.


8. Giving (sort of). I have a mixed relationship with Christmas giving. I like giving in general: giving to charity, giving a special perfect something to someone, giving to show my thanks and appreciation, giving of myself. (Shut up. I'm not codependent, I'm just super good at giving!) But I tend to prefer giving to food banks in July, when few other people are thinking of it. Or giving a special little gift for no reason in September. Or sending off a thank you when I'm feeling grateful in mid-March. But I do like that there's at least one time of year when a lot of us are at least supposed to be thinking about giving.

I'm passing this on to the folks who did not get a bookmark or something else fabulous. Since you all have mentioned Christmas preparations or celebrations on your blogs, I'm figuring it's appropriate to give this to you with a wish for a very Merry Christmas.  (However, I always get nervous about screwing up the wishing of religiously associated good cheer, so if I misread the celebratory stuff I prostrate myself in apology for being part of the thoughtless dominant culture.)

Cheryl
Sophie in the Moonlight
Kat
Sunny
Cat (Even though you already did this, I wanted to holiday smooch you anyway. And Sophie already called you fabulous too. You're too popular!)
Meg
Jena
Hope

And special love and gratitude -- whether you celebrate Christmas or not -- to the blogless, bookmarkless, but much appreciated:

C*
rbee
listeningmoth