Only 3 more sleeps!

It is amazing to think that Christmas is only 3 days away. With all of the whirlwind of the festive holiday season that seems to start earlier each year, time just goes by so quickly with the anticipation of how each person celebrates. For me, the excitement is knowing that my mom arrives tomorrow, that a huge turkey dinner feast is 2 sleeps away, watching my son get excited over Santa's arrival, coming home each day to see who has sent me a Christmas card in the mail, reliving the memories of my childhood and how much laughter there always seemed to be that day and on Boxing Day.

Christmas has always been such an important experience in my life for me. It is a time of year that I find myself very reflective. Where I take long profound moments and reflect on how truly blessed that I am in my life. I am always aware of how lucky I am but I think that I almost dwell on it for the holiday season. Along with that, I also allow myself to grieve for losses that I may have held onto for the year. Christmas for me is almost like a cleansing and a way to start the upcoming year with a fresh new outlook and set of goals.

Now I know that this will sound contradictory, but I find this year too that both Paul and I have been going out of our way to ensure that our son is getting the most out of the holiday season. We have created that excitement for Santa, the countdown to his arrival and the concept of giving presents. I think most importantly though, we have been teaching him about the spirit of giving. Whether it be in the form of money, a present or just a hug to someone who seems down. No matter what, Kaelen has embraced this whole heartedly. It moves me to tears when we walk by a donation kettle and he puts money that he wanted for his piggy bank into the kettle instead, or when he wanted to give away all of his stuffed animals to the sick children in the hospital. When he does thoughtful stuff like that, I feel infused with so much more love and know that Paul and I are doing something right in our parenting.

To end off this meandering post, on behalf of Paul, Kaelen and myself, we would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. May your holiday season be enriched full of love and laughter.