Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is perhaps the best pseudo holiday.
A day when most of the hustle and bustle of getting ready for the holiday is over and anticipation is high. A day built on hopes of what the next day will bring. A time to reflect. The spirit is electric and energizes all those who are touched by the season. I am feeling the warmth of the season thanks to the spirit of Bailey's and Coffee. Yummm! The kids are nestled in front of their TV quoting Frosty the Snowman. The sounds of ancient and not so ancient traditions colliding to create a uniquely American holiday is cacophonous and sometimes difficult to make out the individual notes that make the season so sweet. This year we tried to take a page from Christmases past. The kids caroled in the neighborhood and delivered candied apples to their friends. I think the faces of the families we visited illustrated what the season has to offer.
As far as sharing our prosperity with those that are less fortunate I had the wonderful opportunity to meet with a family who had a child while in high school and yet through their hardship the mother completed school and is trying to further her education. Their family unit is still intact. She won a refurbished car from a wonderful organization and I was the lucky the one that got to be there with the family as she unwrapped her car complete with insurance, a year of gas and a child seat already installed. It had not really donned on me what it meant to have reliable transportation and the doors it could open. We collected presents for children in the foster care system and it was amazing what some of them hoped for. Some of these children were 17 a getting ready to move out of the system. They wanted clothes to get a job.
I am truly blessed!