Right This Very Minute . . .

I‘ve noticed that most years I can easily catch the Christmas “excitement”, but there are some years when I seem to have a much tougher time getting into the holiday spirit. This has been one of those tougher years.

I’m not really talking about shopping, wrapping, decorating, or writing cards. I’ve already done a little of all those things in the last few weeks. I’m referring to that light-hearted, joyous, feeling we’ve all experienced during holidays past – the feeling that it’s fun and not just a mad dash to finish everything in time.

The point is, I like love that feeling. I’ve been waiting for it to grab me ever since Thanksgiving, so I was especially happy that it arrived over the weekend. The impetus? Hubby’s company’s annual Christmas party.

Held on a Saturday evening, the party is always a lovely event. There’s a wonderful dinner, dancing, party favors, and most important of all – the time spent with good friends. Sir Beads has been with the company for 28 years; so many of his co-workers are practically family now. I must admit, I didn’t think I was in the mood to get all dressed up and go this year. It had been a really busy week, and the thought of just relaxing on Saturday night was quite tempting. But we’ve never missed the party, and I figured I’d be glad I went – so we did.

The room literally sparkled with elegant Christmas decorations. There was soft lighting, which made for a very warm, almost dream-like, atmosphere. During small pauses in the chatter at our table, my thoughts wandered to happy Christmases of the past – not only from my own childhood, but also throughout my marriage, and especially from the years when my daughters were small. I felt a spark of excitement, and then that feeling began to grow. By the time the evening ended, I was breathing a sigh of relief. My usual enthusiasm for the holidays was back!

There are only a couple of weeks until Christmas, but now I’m ready to finish the preparations. It won’t be just a blur of chores and lists to complete. Heck, I may even drop a few of those “to-dos” from my usual list.

It took a while to get it this time, but now that the Christmas spirit has finally arrived, I’m going to focus on enjoying every second.

Hugs,