So why should I worry? Why worry at all? (because I'm a mom, that's why!)

I had a very scary moment as a mom last night. At around 9:00pm, my daughter calls me from Washington DC. Now that, in itself, is not scary. She usually gives me a call at strange times, just to say hello, to let me know how her classes went, to vent about a stressful situation she may be in at work, but NEVER, NEVER in a million years did I expect to hear what I did last night.......

"Hello?"

"Mom? Are you sleeping?"

"No, my throat just hurts."

"Oh, well, I am just calling to let you know, in case you hear this on social media, there is a gunman on campus and it is in lockdown. But don't worry, I'm in my apartment and I'm ok."

Don't worry? You lost me at gunman....you lost me at gunman. Well, guess what, that little piece of advice went right out the window when I heard the word gunman. Stuff like that happens in other places to other families. Gunman on campus. That doesn't happen to those I love. While she remained calm and tells me, "Don't worry", I am a mom, we are prone to that. Especially when our children are hundreds of miles away at school. Heck, I worry when I drop my youngest daughter off at the high school each morning. And in light of the year anniversary of the school massacre at Sandy Hook, the phone call last night, rocked me to my core. When my oldest decided to go to North Carolina to college, it was a worrisome time for me. I feared those phone calls. I watched the news feverishly. I cringed when I heard of a college campus shooting. And when she traveled the friendly skies to all sorts of great places, I worried. I worried from the time she left until the time she was back home. I guess I am a worrier by nature. Don't worry? Ha!

I immediately took to the social media outlets, following the story closely. I did heave a huge sigh of relief when I knew the lockdown was lifted and the 'suspect' was in custody. But I could not stop thinking about the what if's. So close to Christmas and my mind instantly flooded with the heartache and pain that the families of Sandy Hook must have gone through last year. In the blink of a couple eyes, I began to think of all the things my daughter has done in her life, and all she has yet to do. It scared me to think how quickly she could have been a name on a news outlet. I think my youngest daughter said it best when she took to her own social media last night, tweeting: It's scary when something you never thought would happen to someone so close to you actually happens. Yes, babygirl, it sure is.

I apologize for this blog not being very Christmas related today. It is the first day in a long time that I don't feel too moved by the Christmast Spirit. Please do not misunderstand my posting today. I am super thankful that my daughter and everyone else on the campus of American University are safe. I am thankful the school took the precautions it did to ensure the safety of the students. I am exceptionally thankful that the incident turned out to be nothing (or so the media outlets reported). And I am over the top excited that I will still have Sunday to spend with my girls, the oldest's boyfriend, and the rest of my family at the sweetest place on Earth. I am thankful that come Christmas morning, I can celebrate with BOTH my girls.

Until tomorrow, my friends.....don't wait to tell someone how you feel, don't put off hugging you children each day (if you can), and don't ever let an opportunity slip by you without telling your children how loved they are. I know mine will get extra tight hugs on Sunday.

Think Thankfully!!!

These are a few of my favorite things.....

I've had my decorations up for over a week now. At first I was a bit nervous about that. Would I become tired of seeing them? Tired of the lights? Tired of the festive nature of my house so early? As I said earlier, I am very much into the Christmas spirit this year, more than any other year I can remember. I decided to take the time to talk a little about my favorite decorations, because my favorites mean a whole lot to me!

First of all, there is my nativity. I absolutely LOVE my Willow Tree Nativity set. It started as a gift from my daughters and was completed for my by my wonderful husband. When I look at my nativity, I truly think that Willow Tree captures the essence of what Christmas may have looked like. It is quiet, humble, holy.

Another of my favorite decorations came to me from my beloved Grandmother. When I was a little girl, I would always help her decorate her tree. My favorite things to place, ever so carefully, on her tree were her bells. They came in a Santa, Mrs. Claus, elves and angels. I always made sure the angels were placed high enough on the tree, in a spot of honor. The bells have always been a favorite of mine. When my grandmother passed, I searched high and low in order to have those bells for my own Christmas tree. This is the third Christmas they adorn my tree. They are placed ever so closely to the hand crocheted snowflakes she made for me when I had a house and tree of my own. I love looking at my tree and seeing glimpses of my past come to me in the form of ornaments.

The last of my favorite decorations sit upon my mantle. A perfect spot for these gems! When I was a very young girl, my other wonderful Grandma had a neighbor whom I loved to visit. I would hop across the porch, cross the neighbor's yard, and go visit Mrs. Bryan. Helen was a wonderful lady who shared with me so much. She told stories and simply loved the inquisitive little girl I was. Helen had a son who was challenged. She had no grandchildren of her own and so she treated me as the granddaughter she never had. I was always given little trinkets and gifts when I visited, but it wasn't until I was a little bit older that she gave me the ornaments. Helen had MADE the ornaments with her mother and grandmother (we assume they are well over 150-175 years old) and she wanted me to have them. Each year, I proudly display My Special Ornaments. They bring a certain old fashioned Christmas into my home.

In taking the time to share these three favorite decorations of mine, I've done more than simply share.....I've reassured myself that there is no way I could ever get tired of the decorations for this holiday season. Perhaps next year, I will decorate even earlier......yeah, probably not! I still think the Turkey needs HIS day!!

Until tomorrow, my friends......may you have certain decorations or traditions that help you remember the Spirit of Christmas, the Wonder of the Season, the Beauty of it all..

Think Thankfully!

BAH! Humbug!

"Bah," said Scrooge, "Humbug!"

"Christmas a humbug, uncle!" said Scrooge's nephew. "You don't mean that, I am sure?"

"I do," said Scrooge. "Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? what reason have you to be merry? You're poor enough.”

I think we all remember this particular part of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Whether you enjoy the original from 1938 (starring Gene Lockhart and Reginald Owen) or the 1951 remake (starring Alastair Sim) or the 1984 television version (starring George C Scott - which is my favorite), or finally Disney's version in 2009 (starring the voice talents of Jim Carrey), this particular Christmas story is one everyone has heard, everyone can relate to, and some even refer to themselves as Scrooge around this time of year. 

Have you ever really asked yourself why Ebenezer Scrooge disliked Christmas so much? Most people think Scrooge (or to be Scrooge-like) is all about the money. They think that Scrooge distance people due to his insane love of money. This is not true. When we dig deeper, we realize that.

As a boy, Scrooge was abandoned by his father, who blamed him for the death of his mother (she died giving birth to Ebenezer). At a young age, because his father couldn't stand to have him around for the painful reminders he brought, Ebenezer was sent to an all boy's school. During the Christmas season, while the other children went home to be with family, young Ebenezer was left on his own at school. As he got older he began to crave money, and valued only that. Love was only important if it made financial sense, which in turn cost him his only true love. He even began to look down on "old-Fessiwig" who loved Christmas and celebrated it with all the enthusiasm of a child. Scrooge thought Fessiwig was foolish. He became increasingly consumed with money, and Christmas. The ultimate symbol of "giving" and love, was nothing but foolish time that caused poor people to be happy and grateful for what they had (Ebenezer thought this was stupid because in his mind they had nothing). Christmas became the enemy of everything he thought had any real importance (making money, saving money, greed).

So why do some people in this day and age still feel the need to refer to themselves as Scrooge, or to act like a Scrooge when Christmas rolls around? Some become a Scrooge because they don't HAVE a family. Maybe they are estranged or just too far away to be together. Then there are those people who lost their family due to divorce or death, leaving the holiday to only be a painful reminder of happier times. Maybe they have their own 'Ghosts of Christmas Past' and wish to escape that sadness and loss. Facing the holidays without someone you love can put a painful tug in the stomach and tears in the eyes.

The financial strain of our pitiful economy at this time of year might definitely create many variations of Scrooge during this holiday season. Perhaps Scrooge became tired of all the forced happiness and relentless cheer that accompanies the holiday season and finds it to be insanely commercialized and materialistic, filled with annoying relatives and stress. Maybe even YOU have had your own Scrooge moments when you felt that way.

In the end, Ebenezer is reminded that the true gifts in life, are gifts that money had nothing to do with: time spent with family or those we refer to as family, loving and being loved (remember how hard his nephew Fred tried to show Ebenezer how loved and wanted he was?). 

Until tomorrow, my friends, perhaps you can find a way to give someone in your life who is a little like Ebenezer Scrooge at this time of year some holiday cheer. Share a smile with someone who does not feel the festive spirit as others do? Maybe invite them to go for a ride looking at all the pretty decorations around and perhaps, in turn, you could bring a smile to their faces.

Think Thankfully!!!

I'm not a child, but my heart can still dream.....

One of the Christmas songs playing on the radio during the Christmas season is called My Grown Up Christmas List, sung by Amy Grant. Many say this song grates on their nerves when they hear it. Some will say it is the most overplayed Christmas song on the radio. I happen to think it is a beautiful song, with a profound message. The song isn’t necessarily about HER wants at Christmas time, rather the list in the song is directed towards the world, "a world in need" to quote the lyrics. The most profound part of the song are the following lines:

No more lives torn apart.

That wars would never start.

And time would heal all hearts.

And everyone would have a friend.

And right would always win.

And love would never end.

This is my grown-up Christmas list.

And everyone would have a friend.

Christmas is a time for wishing for good things, a time to ask for things we wouldn’t normally ask for any other time of the year. Children write their lists for Santa and include all the latest toys, electronic devices, and much, much more. But what about adults? Did you write a list for Santa? Did you ask Santa for anything this year?

On Friday, I prompted my students to write letters to Santa and our Elf, Charlie, would deliver them to the big guy. While my students were hard at work (which still amazes me!!!), one little boy came up to me and so seriously asked me, “Ms Allyson, aren’t you writing a letter to Santa? How will you get presents under your tree if you don’t tell him what you want?” I asked that young boy to get me the stationery and I, too, would write my own letter. I found it hard to do. Write a letter to Santa telling him what I want for Christmas. You see, I am an age in life where I really do not want for anything. I have everything I need: healthy, successful children, a loving relationship, my family….these are things Santa can’t really deliver.

I wrote my letter, and it went something like this:

Dear Santa,

My name is Ms. Allyson. I love having Charlie in our classroom

I really don’t know what I want for Christmas this year. I guess if

each of my wee ones get what they want, I will be happy. As you

know, this is my favorite time of year. Thank you for being such a

wonderful man.

Love,

Ms Allyson

The kids asked to share their letters, and so we did. When I read mine, the kids all looked at me and said, “Ms Allyson, that’s not a real Christmas list. Why don’t you ask for a new car?” It was at that moment that the teaching kicked in and I explained that as you grow up, the things you want for Christmas aren’t necessarily things that Santa can bring. I explained that the best gift I could get, would be for each one of them to be happy and content with whatever Santa brings them, but that I hoped they each got at least one thing on their list. Whether they understood the point right there in Room 101 on Friday, I do not know. They are, after all, still wee ones. But I know, in my heart, that one day they will get it. Perhaps it will be when they are old enough to fully appreciate the song, My Grown Up Christmas List.

Until tomorrow, my friends…..may we always remember that we can all wish for things on Christmas, because after all, we have the Spirit of Santa in us, and we have the power to see to it that we have those dreams that will come true!

Think Thankfully!!!  

Yes, Virginia, there IS a Santa Claus....

Today's blog was inspired by a photo I saw on a friend's Facebook page yesterday. Her granddaughter wasn't so sure about being alone, sitting on Santa's lap. The face was priceless, but what was even more wonderful is, that for years on end, as long as I can remember, the Santa whose lap she was sitting on, was her very own grandfather. My friend captioned the picture to say, "Cali wasn't so sure about Santa by herself. Lol. Some day she will realize who he really is!" It made me chuckle. I almost said out loud, in the voice of Lucy from the Santa Clause movies, "GO FISH YOU ARE SANTA!", (which happens to be one scene that will always make me tear up!)!  I still have to smile when I think about the jolly old St. Nick, himself. Santa Claus! Who doesn't love Santa?! I mean, of course, little ones are usually terrified when they are plopped onto the lap of this stranger, of this big guy in a white beard, white hair, red suit, and jolly HO HO HO. But....when they realize who and what Santa is....it is instant LOVE!

Santa! Remember when you were a child? The anticipation of Christmas was one of the best feelings ever. I remember always going to my maternal grandparent’s house on Christmas Eve for the family celebration followed by Christmas Eve services at church. It was a great way to pass time so that we weren’t clock watching! Oh the anticipation!!! When we would finally get home from church, I can remember my parents would always encourage my brothers and I to go ‘right to sleep’ so that Santa could come, because after all, he only came when we were fast asleep!!!! And much like many children around the world on December 24, I remember never being able to fall asleep that night before Christmas. I'd try my hardest to stay up all night long waiting for Santa Claus, pretending to be asleep when my parents would check in on me. I would sneak out of my bedroom and lay at the top of the stairs, looking down into the living room where our Christmas tree stood proudly, just to check to see if Santa Claus delivered the presents yet. It is all still very amazing to me: as a child, you never seem to catch your parents putting the presents under the tree, but yet, there's some point in the middle of the night when you’d wake up, sneak out, and WOW! there they were. And then I became a parent……

I tried my hardest, as a mom, to instill a love for Christmas in my daughters. We kept some holiday traditions I grew up with and created some of our own. One of my most favorite traditions centered around Santa. Christmas Eve, I would allow my daughters to sleep downstairs on the living room couch, in hopes of ‘catching Santa’. I remember my mom first telling me that this was not a good idea. What if the girls woke up while I was doing my job? What if it ruined Christmas for them because they would realize that there is no Santa? WHAT? No SANTA? Oh, but I challenged, there IS a Santa!!!! Santa Claus is in all of us. We all have the most wonderful power to become Santa. We all have the power to make somebody's holiday. And while the idea of my girls sleeping on the couch on Christmas Eve never ruined their belief in Santa, once they did become too old to really believe, I think I did a great enough job of instilling in them the idea that the SPIRIT OF SANTA CLAUS lives in all of us. My girls are now 16 and 23 and they both still look for gifts under the tree from 'Santa'. They still leave treats for Santa before they go to bed on Christmas Eve. They still become filled with childlike wonder on Christmas morning, when they come down the stairs (they no longer sleep on the couch) and see under the tree. Christmas doesn't have to be a downer just because someone doesn't believe in Santa. It is up to each and every one of us to make sure they believe in the Spirit of Santa Claus.

Aren't the holidays all about giving and sharing love, giving a gift to somebody just because you feel like giving and not expecting anything back? Isn't that what The Spirit of Santa Claus is all about? Santa gives gifts all over the world in some of the least likely of places. All he receives in return is an occasional cookie and a glass of milk (or at our house, ring bologna and beer!), but Santa just gives and gives with no expectation of a return gift. I remember one year, at our family Christmas party, my daughter decided to give Santa a present when he gave her the presents there with her name on them. It was certainly not something Santa expected and I am pretty sure it was something Santa has never forgotten.

This (and every) holiday season, you have a wonderful opportunity to let the Spirit of Santa shine!!!!!! We're almost two weeks away from Christmas and you have the opportunity to bring the Spirit of Santa to all the people in your life. Everyone you see or encounter on a regular basis – show them the Spirit of Santa. You already know what the best holiday gift you can give is: giving the gift of you.

Which brings me to my favorite reminder of the Spirit of Santa Claus…..I post this for you. Read it and never forget! He lives, he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now..... nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood. I believe in Santa Claus....I will always believe in Santa Claus!

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

By Francis P. Church, first published in The New York Sun in 1897. 

[See The People’s Almanac, pp. 1358–9.]

We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

Dear Editor—

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?

Virginia O’Hanlon

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Until tomorrow, my friends……let the SPIRIT OF SANTA CLAUS spring from you! You’ll be so happy you did!

Think Thankfully!!!

City sidewalks, busy sidewalks.....

Here I sit, at 10:00am on a Saturday morning, already ran to the store to get the ingredients I needed for Crock Pot Hamburger Helper Vegetable Soup for the girls' basketball game today (the perks of working the stand....you must bring something to sell to the masses!), got sick in the store (never fails....), came home and prepared the soup and got it in the crock pot, two loads of laundry done, showered, and suddenly I realized that I have only 17 days to be ready for Christmas. While my house is ready, the Santa part is not. Gifts are sparse and I have no lists to guide me. Oiy vey!

I don't know about the rest of you, but during this time of year, I tend to get caught up in all the hustle and bustle of Christmas, becoming stressed out as I try to make sure I am 100% ready for Christmas. Are we ever really 100% ready for Christmas? Usually, not, but somehow it manages to arrive, everyone seems happy, and life goes on the next day as usual. Sometimes, the simple enjoyments of the season gets lost in the busy days of packed schedules, holiday parties, and Christmas pageants and programs we must attend.

My personal opinion is a simple one: Christmas is about much more than receiving gifts. To me, it's a time to gather with family and spend some quality time together. I am already looking forward, with eager anticipation, at our family Christmas party next Saturday! Over 100 of us, gathered in one spot, wearing our festive outfits, eating, drinking, being merry....all beside some of the best people in the world....MY FAMILY!

Hopefully, the hustle and bustle of the season hasn't gotten you down. Remember, it all works out in the end....just have a little faith!

Until tomorrow, my friends.....in the air there's a feeling of Chrismtas!

Think Thankfully!!!

What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store......

I feel a certain sort of sadness for people who work for big retail chains such as WalMart or KMart and even Target at this time of year. Christmas is introduced to the masses earlier and earlier each year that I am convinced we will start seeing Christmas displays right along side of Back to School displays in July. The playing of Christmas tunes begins earlier and earlier, something I am not a big fan of. This year, as I walked in one of those big stores well BEFORE Thanksgiving and saw the Christmas displays along with the hearing of Christmas music, I would often pause and say, "Please just give the Turkey his day!". The workers of these retail stores become burned out of Christmas Spirit because it is all they are subjected to for 8 - 10 hours a day during their work shifts almost immediately after Halloween. I was in the company of someone last Saturday night who worked at one of the above named stores and she said she has no Christmas spirit. No joy for the holiday. She doesn't decorate until right before Christmas day and takes down pretty much as soon as Christmas is over. She is tired of hearing the Christmas songs, tired of seeing all the Christmas baubles, tired of self centered, rude, ignorant customers. Tired of it all. My heart sank into sadness.

Christmas has become such a retail holiday. It ranks right up there with Valentine's Day in my book as far as materialistic holidays are concerned. I feel bad for those people who are unwillingly subjected to the madness by the beginning/middle of November already. I understand that places need to make a profit and the earlier they get their Christmas season underway, the more money lined the pockets become, but for whom? Certainly NOT the employees who are working long hours, dealing with despicable people, and having to hear every imaginable version of White Christmas there is, making the workers feel like being voluntarily run over by a reindeer.

I am not sure how to change this. I am not sure there is a way, but it would be my wish that we could. Why can't we wait til December to start our Christmas displays in stores? Why can't we live by something other than the almighty dollar during the year? I wish I knew how to fix this so that people don't feel so overwhelmed by the onslaught of Christmas before they are even able to enjoy the holiday(s) before it.

Today, I am hoping that the lady I spoke to is able to find her Christmas spirit as the days leading up to the big day start flying by. I will do my best to make my shopping trips short and sweet (I do most of my shopping online! Hate stores at Christmas time for an all together different reason!).

Until tomorrow, my friends.....to quote one of my favorites: “And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

― Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Think Thankfully!!!