Sunday, December 25, 2011

It's the most wonderful time of the year

When I was a kid, Christmas was something magical that happened. Presents, dinners, cookies, parties – all of these things magically appeared as if Santa came down the chimney and with a nod of his head, filled stockings and cookie tins.

As an adult, Christmas runs the risk of becoming a long to-do list. Gifts to buy, cards to send, meals to plan, baking to do, rooms to clean, presents to buy and wrap... And yet, in the hustle and rush of it all, there is still some magic to be found.

It’s been a busy weekend. Hosting a party with friends and loved ones means baking, cleaning, shopping, and prepping. Wanting to have a special Christmas breakfast meant leaping out of bed to get coffee brewing, a quiche cooking and snowman biscuits baking. But it's the doing of these things that makes the holiday extra special.

Today we had a picture-perfect white Christmas. Wanting to get out of the house and away from plates of cookies and crackers, my plan had been to give Miya a sled for Christmas as the last present with the hope that she would want to take it for a spin outdoors. It worked perfectly.

As soon as she saw the sled, she wanted to sit in it. She contentedly sat in the sled, munching on a biscuit, while we got ready, then was happy to get bundled up in layers (it was -16 after all) and head outdoors. Snow was softly falling and the air was crisp as we took her through a park to deliver a Christmas card.

Other families and children were out in sleds and on skis. A little boy slid down the hill and into the trees, wailing for his mommy the whole way down. A 4 year-old neighbour girl was learning to glide down a hill and climb back up. Dogs bounded through snow drifts, tails wagging.

I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day. And in looking back at this Christmas, it has been lovely. We create the magic and watch it sparkle in our daughter’s eyes, we gather with friends and create the memories and moments to cherish.

Merry Christmas everyone.

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