Merry Christmas

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday season. Like I’ve said before, gift-giving is one of my love languages. But I also love the decorations, the music, and hot cocoa on a cozy night. Though these all sound superficial, they all point to something else—the traditions made with loved ones.

I grew up in the far North, in a rural “city” in the corner of Northern Maine. Cold and snow at Christmastime? It was a given. It’s the kind of place that Christmas cards are made for. But this was where we called home and my mother made Christmas magical. 

We had an artificial tree which meant that putting it together, in addition to decorating it, became part of the season. On went an album (and later a CD) of the Muppet’s Christmas. Other decorations were added to the house, most notably a Victorian-looking village that my mother still cherishes to this day. 

At one point during the season, there would be Rudolf and Frosty and Charlie Brown, because you never outgrow those three. There would likely be cookies made at my grandmother’s house and at least one Christmas concert to attend. And Hallmark movies, because it’s nice to watch everyone’s problems get resolved in ninety minutes, especially around this time of year.

On Christmas Eve, we went to Mass—the early service as children and the midnight service when my sister and I became teenagers. Christmas Eve is anticipation and sacred, like holding a glass bubble that you can’t pop until the time is just right. It is candlelights and music. At some point on Christmas Eve, we would always travel through the town and look at the light displays. Lumineraries were popular in my hometown and whole streets would be lit up with them. 

When Christmas morning finally came, breakfast was cheese Danish. The stockings came out, then the presents under the tree. When the last of those presents were opened, it was on to my grandmother’s house, along with my aunt and her family. We piled into her living room, adorned with a table tree. There would be finger food and a gift exchange. 

These memories are so sweet to me. Now, with my own family, especially with a one-year old, I am so looking forward to making new memories with her.

Merry Christmas.

Thanks for reading!

💜

Laura