The wonder of Christmas

​When I was a little girl (sigh, far off look), mom and dad did an amazing job of bringing the wonder and magic of Christmas to life. I know it was hectic for my mom working full time, shopping for and wrapping gifts, getting the house ready for the very large Ford family gathering (weeks before the actual holiday), baking cookies, baking a red velvet cake, making fudge, baking more cookies (mom was known for her chocolate chip cookies.) Dad worked full time, decorated outside with lights and our big, plastic Frosty snowman. He set up for the upcoming Ford party. 
 
My brother and I would ‘help.’ We loved to help bake the cookies, decorate the tree, put out the decorations… it was mom’s favorite time of year, not just a holiday. Christmas music would play all day. We would watch all the animated holiday shows in the evenings with the tree lit in the room. 
 
Christmas morning was tough. I am sure, looking back, it was harder for my parents. Pretty sure they were up late and, of course, we were up early. But, we could only open our stockings until 8:30 when our grandparents came over. 8:30! That was like forever. Looking over the pile of presents. Cookies and milk for breakfast. Definitely built the anticipation. 
 
Truthfully, I remember quite a few gifts I received over the years. Mom was great at getting the perfect gifts. One year though, I was about 6, Santa’s elves (Dad and a few friends) built a play kitchen for me. 4 pieces – sink, stove, fridge and cabinet with open shelving. Knobs, sink, faucet, oven grate. Details. I didn’t notice until I was much older that some of the inside shelving was pieces of paneling left over from our bathroom. It was amazing. I still have it. A treasure. 
 
All this to say, find the wonder in the holiday and every day. Enjoy the moment so it becomes a memory. Christmas is a time many of us remember all the good stuff. Let’s make the effort to find and remember more good stuff throughout the year. 
 
Happy holidays for all that you celebrate, Stacy, Tracy and the CW Crew

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