It's a Feeling

"Christmas is a feeling, filling the air.
It's love and joy and laughter of people everywhere.
Christmas is a feeling bringing good cheer;
It reaches out to touch you when the holidays draw near.
It's mistletoe and falling snow
And candles burning bright.
It's a baby in a manger on a cold winter night;
It's glad noels and chiming bells,
And presents by the tree;
It's the spirit of giving in you and in me.
For Christmas is a feeling filling the air,
It's love and joy and laughter of people everywhere.
But if Christmas is a feeling
Bringing such good cheer,
Then why, O why don't you and I
Try to make it last all year?
Why can't it last all year?"
Christmas is a Feeling

When I was an elementary student, we learned and performed the song, Christmas is a Feeling, for a school concert. Since then, I have loved the beautiful tune and the meaning of the words. Christmas is a glorious feeling! I remember the Christmas feeling from my childhood. Allow me to reminisce...

 

I recall coming home from school each weekday in December , opening the door and smelling the fresh scent of pine, coming from the LIVE Christmas tree we acquired from the boy scout tree lot up the street. Mom always had the Christmas lights on when we came home. I remember sitting on the couch at night with all the lights off except for the Christmas lights. We always put the same strand of large colored bulbs around the big windows in the front living and dining room. The Christmas tree always had colored lights. The decorative tree in the corner had white lights. Mom compromised. We always wanted white lights on the tree; mom wanted colored. I sat on that couch night after night, staring at the lights, reading stacks of Christmas books found in the basket by the couch, and listening to the Christmas music that always seemed to be playing on Mom's under the cupboard radio in the kitchen, tuned to KOIT. 

 

The excitement when the presents were wrapped and placed under the tree was almost tangible, and I can still remember it now. Shaking and feeling the presents was common. Searching the house for gifts was an annual event until I found them one year and was entirely disappointed on Christmas morning because I was not surprised. I never searched for my gifts again. Christmas Eve was the highlight of the season! Grandma and Grandpa and Don and Sally's family gathered at our house for a Christmas Eve dinner. Grandma always brought the turkey. Grandpa always did the dishes. Funny jokes and stories were told. Lots of laughter was common. We dressed up each year in the same nativity costumes as the year before. Dad's bottles of cologne were the three gifts from the wisemen. We acted out the nativity story and sang Christmas songs at the proper breaks in the narration. Dad was always the narrator; his long "ALLLLL the world would be taxed" was classic and everyone knew he would do it yet again. Grandma and Grandpa always dressed up, too, usually as wisemen. I remember being Mary as a little girl and holding that baby doll so carefully before I placed him in the manger, the cradle Grandpa made. We still use it to this day. Treats followed - egg nog, sparkling cider, fudge, the most delicious homemade sugar cookies, divinity, peanut blossoms (peanut butter cookies with the hershey kiss). These were my favorites

 

Christmas morning found us gathered in Mom and Dad's room. We waited for Dad to put on his grey sweat pants and hoodie. We lined up youngest to oldest and walked down the hallway together to the living room. The living room light switch was connected to the outlet for the Christmas tree lights. Switching it on brought colorful light to our excitement as we discovered what Santa most generously delivered. Dad and Mom sat and watched with pure pleasure. We spent all morning with our new-found goodies. The rest of the day was spent with the extended family at Grandma and Grandpa's house. They always had a special gift for us. Many times Grandma wrote a little poem that went with their gift. We played with cousins, ate turkey sandwiches, played cribbage and Uno, ate See's candies from Grandma, looked at the Christmas decorations, and enjoyed the FEELING.

 

One year I received a necklace that I had wanted for months; they were the big rage. The necklace was that of stuffed fabric. The charm was a porcelain rabbit. I LOVED it! Later in the day Mom and Dad gave us the bad news...our friends home was robbed and all their Christmas gifts were taken. My parents asked us to donate one of our gifts to the children of the family. One of the girls was my age. Alyssa. I looked over my gifts and knew I needed to give her the necklace. I couldn't give her socks or a sweater. It made me happy to give her something that would bring her great joy, something that meant so much to me. I will NEVER forget that experience. I think it was the first time I really FELT and understood what Christmas was all about. Yes, Christmas is a feeling, a beautiful feeling, especially when it involves the true meaning of Christmas - that of giving of yourself, serving others, and thinking of another before yourself... giving a gift to Jesus Christ. 

 

 Some of my favorite 2012 Christmas moments:

 

My cutie!

Just some of the participants

Playing the Part: Shepherds, Mary & Joseph, Wisemen, Angels

Singing together...

Little Lamb

The angels singing Silent Night

Santa Baby

Cute Cousins!

Shepherd and Lambie

Our wisemen

Shepherds

Love this Shepherd!

Wise Buddies!

A Singing Moment

O, Christmas Tree on Christmas Eve

Ready for Santa

Her own straightener!

Cute Couple loving their finger lights

Ready to fly...

Usain Bolt Dog Tags...

Sweet Sisters

Sue Thomas Complete Series!!

He wanted a Christmas Moose sweater. A shirt will have to do...

Scooter Buddies!

A new tradition - Follow the Star

She is my daughter

I have tried to create a Christmas Feeling in our home. I pray that through traditions, service, stories, laughter, giving, and memories, my children will forever have the Christmas Feeling in their hearts.

 More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!