The Good Ole Happy Holidays

This year, I feel I've actually had time to get into the Christmas spirit. I don't know how or why, I just feel it more than I have in the past few years. It may have to do with things seemingly getting better with the economy so there is less stress in the world. It may have to do with my state of mind, which has been a bit more relaxed than usual. It may have something to do with the trip we made to our local mall last week......yes, that must be it. I still can't get it off my mind.
This past Thursday we made our journey to see Santa. Last year my kids decided they didn't need to let him in on what they wanted because he knew anyway and that white beard and red suit made him a bit scary. This year they felt they needed to go and see him for themselves, and with lists as long as theirs were, they had to be sure he knew what they wanted. So off we went, heading to the crowds and mayhem. I had spoken to a friend of mine that works at the mall to get the scoop on the best time to arrive and the best place to park. Crowds aren't a favorite of mine and Thursday was probably the coldest night we've seen this year in New Hampshire. I always like to plan ahead!
When we arrived, husband in tow, Santa was on dinner break so we walked around a bit to get more into the spirit of things. It was great to see all the decorations and the kids excitement, especially when they saw a man with a white beard and red exercise suit walking around looking suspiciously like the big man himself! As we made our way back to "Santa's station" to get in line, Liberty & Lexington kept an eye out for elves, Santa or anything else resembling the spirit of the holiday. About 20 minutes after arriving in line (we were second, yeah!) along came Santa. One of those moments forever embedded in your mind happened to me just then. As he approached, my son Lexington saw him, got wide eyes and hollered "He IS real!" I don't think the smile came off of any of our faces for the rest of the night.
This Holiday season, remember all the "real" things that happen in life. Things change but some things, somehow, stay the same and are with us forever. Merry Christmas!