My ass is dragging, but I am just about done. Wrapping, and one box to ship to Washington state, for my siblings Christmas with my parents, that will actually take place on New Years, this year.  A lot of the hustle and bustle will wind down after a food shopping trip, and we can exhale, and relax. Hopefully to breathe in the meaning of Christmas with our family.

I want to wish everyone who may stop by here, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I wish you good health, an abundance of love, and prosperity for the coming New Year. Blogging has been a hobby that has come to hold so much more then I ever anticipated. So many good hearted, kind and caring people, that have come to mean a great deal to me.

Blogging started out as just a place to put a diary, express myself, comment on other blogs, and improve on writing, both creatively and grammatically. Never would I have anticipated coming to know so many people, that I would call dear and special friends. But as I get ready to start 2006, there are many of you out there I would love to give a great big hug to, and thank you for sharing the gift of your friendship, the gift of part of your lives. So many that I have rejoiced in the good things in your lives, and gone to my knees in prayer over concerns. So many of you that have expressed your concern and prayers for me and mine. I love all of you, and wish the utmost best for each of you.

My husband sent me a letter that expressed the thoughts going thru his head and heart when he thought about this Christmas, that yes I’m going to share. (With his permission of course) He brought up a toy that he remembers receiving as a young child, that for some reason held a special significance for him. Which had me thinking about my childhood Christmases, remembering fondly a gift I had asked “Santa” to bring two Christmases in a row, when I finally received it. It was with complete delight that I opened a typewriter, the Christmas of my 10th year. And to this day, the thought of that Christmas remains special to me.

What I would love to hear from readers: Can you remember a childhood Christmas, that you received a gift that to this day makes your heart smile? And why? (If you can remember.) The wonder of Christmas through a child’s eyes, nothing beats it for me!  Thinking about that one childhood Christmas with my parents, brother and sister, the love, the laughter, and yes all the gifts wrapped under the tree, enveloped my spirit with peace and joy. Two emotions I haven’t allowed myself to wallow in much during this busy time of year. It had me saying a little prayer, that I can capture these feelings and give them to my own children this Christmas.

As an adult, married mother of three, with a “To Do” list that would rival Santa’s, it’s easy to get completely caught up in the To Do, that I nearly forget to just relax and enjoy. Allow for my kids to see calm and my love for them, not my back end as I go from one activity to another. All these thoughts brought on, just by dwelling on that childhood Christmas of my own. So as the Christmas Season winds to a climax, I’m going to remember that typewriter, and allow myself to just luxuriate in my own kids’ excitement and joy.

After my husbands letter, if you have a moment, leave me a comment telling of your childhood Christmas gift, that symbolizes and embodies the Christmas joy of childhood for you.
Love,

3T

Dearest:
Since I only have four more chances to write these letters this year, I
thought I ought to devote some of them to holiday themes.
Like you, Christmas for me brings a mixed bag of thoughts. Along with just
the seasonal stress of trying to figure out gifts, then buying them, then
getting them to where they are supposed to go, I think about Christmases
past and how I spent all but one before moving to Arizona in Buffalo with
my family.
I try not to romanticize those visits, and in doing so remember how I would
spend the whole week there, often snowbound and sometimes wishing that I
had not carved out the entire week to be there. You can only play so much
Scrabble or cards, I would sometimes think to myself, and the chaos of the
house sometimes got to me, making me wish I was back in my apartment where
things were at least orderly.
But that was when I was older. I find it hard to remember what Christmases
were like when I was young. I seem to recall there were a few times when my
father was either on strike or laid off, and how he and my mom would try to
shelter us from the knowledge of their truly profound struggle not just to
survive but also to create a little Christmas joy around the house.
I can’t ever remember my mother being daunted by the challenge.
I can’t remember whether it was one of those such Christmases when I got a
toy that I remember to this day. It was a black and white “Dick Tracy car,”
maybe about 18 or so inches long. It didn’t do a whole lot, but came with
some plastic accessories and had a siren. Beyond one of those prepacked
mesh stockings with a bunch of candy and little toys, this was the only
gift I got that year from my parents.
It was all they could afford, I think.
I wish I could figure out completely why I remember that car so much. I
know there were at least two other siblings on earth, and possibly the
fourth--I was that young. But there are entire series of Christmases that I
can’t remember a damn thing as far as gifts are concerned.
But that car is still there in my mind..
As I drove to work today, incredibly I began thinking of that Dick Tracy
Car again, and again I wondered why it keeps coming back into my mind
almost every Christmas.
And then I wondered: Do I remember this one particular gift because God
wants me to? Does he want me to remember
this gift because it shows that one never knows the impact one gift might
have on someone, and that is especially true of gifts one gives a child?
Does he want me to remember it because it symbolizes how much my parents
struggled to give their then young children something to make a bleak
Christmas a little merry?
I still am not sure exactly why, but I am tending to think this is the
reason God wants me to remember that car--as a kind of gateway to the
recognition of all their sacrifices for me.
So what’s this all have to do with us? I believe that being married to you
means that giving to you is no seasonal affair: It’s an everyday activity.
And when you look at us, no matter where you are, I hope that you will
always see me as someone who gives everything he has to you--most
importantly, his heart and soul. Without reservation. With no regret.
That is the way I approach life with you and marriage to you--as a lifetime
of giving my all to make you feel happy, secure and deeply loved.
And you won’t need a toy car to remind you.
I love you, my wife
with all my heart.