It is early Christmas morning and the sun has not come up. I have been up since the wee hours not being able to sleep. Excitement over Christmas? Not like when I was a kid. Even though my childhood was sometimes not the most joyous I still remember Christmas as being a time of excitement and hope.
I have always loved the whole Christmas experience. I love the decorations, the festivities and the preparation of the day. I am one of the crazy ones who would put up my decorations in July if I didn’t think someone would lock me up. I guess Christmas represents a feeling of calmness and security. When my son was younger we would make cookies and candles and decorate the house with all of the trimmings. To this day homemade gingerbread cookies are still a tradition I will continue until I’m too old to remember the recipe. And if I do, Martha Stewart’s Holiday book will always be a part of my kitchen library next to The Joy of Cooking.
I am looking out over the twinkling lights of my beautiful view with the lighted Christmas tree reflecting in the window. I feel blessed and restless at the same time knowing that this next year will be filled with excitement and hope. Funny how our lives are always looking back to the simple times we had as children. Even with the pressures of life as an “adult” we try to go back to the carefree moments we had when each day brought something new. When we laugh at the silliest things and approached each year with a sense that everything would be ok.
So I say here’s to being a child and trying my best to live each day moment to moment with wonder and hope for the simplicity and beauty of being alive. Starting with the secret ingredient for the best gingerbread cookies ever….cracked black pepper.