Christmas 2014 Is Upon Us

Christmas.  I love this time of year.  (Insert sarcasm with those last words.)


I despise the crowds.  I despise the shopping.  I despise the incessant music on every radio station while I drive.  I despise the fact that I live on a fixed income and that I stress about money to the point that it makes me physically ill every single year.  I despise the sadness I feel about both of my Grandmothers passing in the month of December.  I'm normally not a negative person except for this time of year.


And then there is the beautiful side to all this negative.  The wonderful things about Christmas time that I gently remind myself of.  This is the month that I gave birth to my BabyBug, who will turn 19 this year.  This is the month that my Apple Dumpling shows me, every year, that I've done such a great job teaching her what the most important things in life are.  This is a month of magic.  This is a month where people do such amazing things for others with love in their heart and no expectation for their actions in return.


Last year was the first Christmas that I had both of my daughters together in five years.  It was magical.  The smiles on their faces over nothing more than us being together was priceless.  They knew I didn't have a lot of money, and it didn't seem to matter to them.  We laughed over silly things and made fun of each other and just had an amazing time.


I've spent two Christmases with my HunnyMan and this year will make three.  They've been the most wonderful ones of my life, aside of those from my childhood when the magic of Santa captivated me, and we don't even buy gifts for each other.  His parents have shared in our joy, which made these Christmases even better.  I could never ask for a better Mother and Father-in-Law.  They're the kind of people that can just sit around and talk and you instantly feel comfortable, the kind of people who would give the shirt off their back if it would help someone in need.  I love them so much for that.


So, in all of the things that make this time of year sad and unbearable for me, there are many things that remind me of how Blessed I am.  I have amazing children, a loving and supportive family, a Husband that completes me, and memories that will forever fill my heart with happiness.


To all of you who took the time to read this, I wish you a wonderful and joyous Christmas filled with magic and love.