It’s that time of year again. Unlike the decorations that deck the malls, I save my Christmas music until December. Well, sometimes I sneak a few favorites after Thanksgiving. But the real celebration begins with December. I trot them all out…carols, the old traditional standbys…Bing Crosby and Mannheim Steamroller, Frank Sinatra and Christmas choirs, Celtic Woman. I love it all, from instrumentals to old folk tunes to soaring choral arrangements. For this month, my Pandora and Spotify stations are set to sentimental.
Sentimental is where my heart is…I have some old Disney Christmas CDs that take me to a time in my life when I had little kids, and the magic of making Christmas cookies and wrapping presents was a family event. Every step in the season was momentous…picking out a tree, choosing the special ornaments for the year, shopping and decorating, and the great light debate..colored or white…the favorite Christmas movies and holiday plays…each event had it’s place on the calendar. And the smells! The smell of the tree, fresh from the cold and filling the house with the fragrance of forest…it was better than baking cookies. To each his own, but if I can’t have a real tree…like this year, when we’re going to be out of town for Christmas…I don’t have anything. I can’t quite make the switch. I decorate with wreaths, and other holiday trimmings, but no fresh tree…no tree.
I listen to the soundtrack from A Charlie Brown Christmas and I’m transported. What is this time warp I’m caught in? My children have moved on, and I’m still here…here in December, loving the little trips back in time; they come in the flash of an instant, sometimes triggered by the strangest things…little, insignificant glimpses that take me, by magic, to another decade…literally to another century. The 90s were golden with the two little kids who filled my life.
Music is a touchstone to memory, and my memories are good.
I remember reading the classics to my children, books like The Polar Express, and A Christmas Carol, and even now, years later, I’m still caught by the stories, charmed and touched by the faith of childhood. That’s the real spirit of the season that flavors everything else…faith…accented by the sounds of beloved and familiar. And for a few weeks every December, I live and re-live sweet moments from the past, and precious times of the present. This month, more than any other, blends the years and melts my heart. A little sprinkling of snow, frosty temps…all good.
You and I are caught in the same time warp–the nineties were a wonderful time with my kids–thank you for a trip down a memory lane that was precious
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Sheila, Little Latham’s Oklahoma grandparents bought a recordable Charlie Brown Christmas book from Hallmark shop this year and read that classic in their voices. Latham loves dancing to the music on the book, hearing his grandparents’ voices reading the story, and especially hearing his name at the begining and end. A great gift! Yes, Christmastime is magical through the eyes of a child.
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Sounds like my kind of Christmas Memories…Aren’t they just the best?…A little snow here in KY would be like icing on the cake…but, it may be coming…I see you like Celtic Women…ME TOO!…my wish is to see them in person…also Celine Dion…Enjoy your music!…because our radio stations completely turn it off at midnight Christmas Day…and you almost seem like a friend has left…mkg
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Yes, good memories are a real treasure! I feel so blessed that I have more good ones than bad. I always feel sorry for people who dread the holidays because of sad / bad memories…what a loss!
Yes, love the frosting of snow! ~ Sheila
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we had a dusting last night…that’s all…but, the winds are still blowing strong and the temp has dropped…
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Love this! I avoid the Christmas radio stations and sneak in my favorites about now on the car cd player — like you, Charlie Brown transports me … 🙂 MJ
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Yes, I love the simplicity of that little film…the heart of the matter, and no flashy graphics to get in the way! Merry, merry! ~ Sheila
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