Christmas is a time when we pause. We stop and reflect. We look forward to another year and hope for blessings. The magic of the holiday can be found all wrapped up in my heart. If you need a little spirit, feel free to unwrap the magic.

Christmastime has always been one of my favorite times of the year. In spite of the things going on in the world; we stop for a moment or three, adding a little more cheer, some goodwill towards men. I cannot help but wonder what makes this time so different that we can make this happen, this feeling of goodwill towards others, and put it away in a box, just like when we are done with the ornaments. What if we kept the tree decorated? All. Year. Long.

I left Washington, DC for a few days, and getting home was bumper to bumper to bumper. Did I forget to say the traffic was hairy? But, we turned up the volume on the radio and sang Christmas carols all the way home. It was an extra four hours on a four-hour trip, but, hey... who's counting?

I have a bad habit of wanting to put a tree up in more than one place, usually someplace that I spend a lot of time in. The kitchen/den area, the living room, the foyer as you enter the house. This year, I put one in the sitting area of my bedroom. Can one have too much Christmas?

May you have the spirit of Hanukkah, which is Peace,
The gladness of Hanukkah, which is Hope,
And the Heart of Hanukkah, which is Love

May your Hanukkah be filled with joyful noise!

Barukh atah Adonai, eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, a-sher ki-de-sha-nu be-mitz-vo-tav ve-tzi-va-nu le-had-lik ner Cha-nu-kah. Source

The baubles are beautiful, but, I need to focus on the Thanksgiving in my heart at Christmas. Connecting to my spiritual values, knowing the rest is fun, but not as important as the reason for the season.

May your heart be filled with the joy of giving, as it is the expression of the love in your heart and the kindness in your soul.

´¨)
¸.• ´¸.•´¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.• It isn't the flowing ribbons,
draped and curled with extra care,
or the fine and fancy bows
tied with ornamental flair.

It isn't the label on the box,
the sum of money spent,
or anything that shows the length
to which you obviously went.

The beauty of a Christmas gift
cannot be seen at all.
For the loveliness of giving
is a feeling, grand and tall.

It's the genuine offer of love,
the yearning to make a connection,
a show of honest gratitude,
a display of sincere affection.

~ Unknown

I found this Christmas paper last week and couldn't resist buying some for the younger kids in my family. Who doesn't love flamingos with deer antlers and snowmen in a hula skirt? Palm trees wrapped in Christmas lights? What an absolute delight!

Words have some degree of inadequacy
When I gaze upon your loveliness
You speak without saying a word
Or maybe a few, if perchance
There are whispers of the heart and love

My love, my love

How could I deny you
A last chance of the season
To make it all right
Once again

Today is the perfect day for a perfect day.

The gift of love.
The gift of peace.
The gift of happiness.
May all these be yours at Christmas.

May the joy continue to radiate in your lives,
long after the season is gone, gone, gone.
Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

Love to all, Denise

I dedicate this post to all of you. You bring joy to my soul and spread your love across the world. For this, I thank you. And just like that, these musings are done...and just so you know, although we are throwing glitter around the globe, I can guarantee you that there is still a little left to take us through Christmas. Have a most fabulous day!

Thank you for visiting my post 💖 Because of you, I come back to post again and again, I am encouraged by you, for the time you take to visit, comment or even upvote. For all of these reasons, I am eternally grateful. Don't ever forget what a wonderful world we live in, people.Some days, it is not as easy to see, how wonderful it really is. Kindness counts. Wherever you go, whatever you do.

We Are The World

There comes a time
When we heed a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
Oh, and it's time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all

We can't go on
Pretending day-by-day
That someone, somewhere soon make a change
We're all a part of God's great big family
And the truth, you know, love is all we need
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives

It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me
Oh, send them your heart
So they know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us by turning stones to bread
And so we all must lend a helping hand

We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving
Oh, there's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me

When you're down and out, there seems no hope at all
But if you just believe there's no way we can fall
Well, well, well, well let us realize
Oh, that a change can only come
When we stand together as one, yeah, yeah, yeah

We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me