Wednesday, December 23, 2009

20 Little Things I Treasure at Christmas

I'm sitting in the dark at 6:00 am, unable to sleep. My mind wanders from subject to subject; I wonder why I can't fall asleep. I tell myself, "Perhaps I could think about the wonderful-ness of the season." What makes it special to me? I borrow this title from another blogger:
20 Little Things I Treasure at Christmas
1. Our tree ornaments, collected over many years, marking the seasons of our life. Some were gifts, some I purchased for our children.
2. Hanging that favorite ornament on the tree: the TP tube and paper angel Greta made so many years ago. And now she tells us she's going to take it with her when she gets married this spring. Our tree will be naked forever after.
3. Beginning our Christmas season by filling shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child.
4. Twinkling white lights on our tree.
5. Watching Luke run in and out of the trees on the Christmas tree lot.
6. Celebrating our Swedish heritage with our Santa Lucia dinner: meatballs in cream sauce, lingonberries, flatbread, and all the other dishes we look forward to every year.
7. Frost on the grass and the cars.
8. Wearing warm jammies late into the morning.
9. Sipping hot chocolate from my yellow "Chocolat" mug from France.
10. The candlelight service at church on Christmas Eve.
11. Singing "Silent Night/Peace, Peace" at the candlelight service.
12. "O Come All Ye Faithful"
13. Listening to the radio broadcast of "Lessons and Carols" from King's College at Cambridge on Christmas Eve morning.
14. Taking corny family pictures on the hearth after we hang our stockings on Christmas Eve.
15. Green wreaths with red bows hung on windows.
16. Reading family letters that come with Christmas cards. Yes, I really do love them. I like having the updates from distant family and friends.
17. Homemade cookies. My own recipes.
18. Seeing the line of bulging stockings, each with a candy cane poking out of the top, hanging from the mantel on Christmas morning.
19. Wrapping up in a neck scarf and mittens first thing in the morning.
20. A real fire with real logs when it's frosty out.

1 comment:

joyce said...

I remember our first Christmas with out the kid's ornaments on the tree...it was truly naked! But, our sweet Heather made me some of my most loved ornaments that year-with real bird feathers-to help make my tree "less naked". Now I have a whole new set of ornaments to treasure. Ornaments will probably always come and go...but the love our family has for one another will always remain...a blessing straight from the hand of God!