Merry, merry, merry Christmas

"And so this is Christmas"
John Lennon & Yoko Ono

So, the day we've (or at least every single retailer in the western world) has been looking forward to since mid-October is finally upon us.
Christmas is here!
I have to admit that Christmas is possibly my most favorite holiday of the year. Yes, that makes me a dork, and yes, I'm totally OK with that. I'm the person who will play Christmas music in her car, turn the lights on anytime she's home, and insist certain traditions are kept in place, no matter how old I am, where we live, or what we're doing. I figure that my cynical attitude throughout the year allows me this level of geekiness where Christmas is concerned. Now I'm not sure I can say what it is about Christmas that I like so much, but I would guess it has something to do with all the lights everywhere, the music, the joy of giving, hanging out with family, and the endless baking of goodies.

Now I realize that not everyone might be as in love with Christmas as I am. Some of you may actually celebrate other holidays around this time, some may not think of Christmas as anything more than a great opportunity to buy more stuff and eat lots of food, and some might just despise anything related to the holidays in general (and I know at least one of my readers is nodding in wild agreement right now), in spite of all those things, I hope that you will take this day (or this very moment, or just a quick second, really, anything you can spare), to be happy. Just happy. Forget about that horrible Christmas sweater you just pulled out of its wrapping, forget about the fact that you may have a huge Christmas dinner to cook, forget about the fact that you just heard Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas" for the fifth time in an hour, forget that you have a family to pacify, and that you might have a few kids bouncing around, in the midst of the biggest sugar-high of the year. Forget about all of it. And just enjoy the moment. For today there are no deadlines, no bosses, no errands, no meetings, it's just and those you (hopefully) love and hold dear. And that doesn't happen very often. Enjoy it while you can.

So may your tree well-decorated, your stockings well-stuffed, your presents fill all your heart's desire (or at least some of it), your Christmas movies sappy and happy, your dinner scrumptious, your post-dinner nap refreshing, and your family well-behaved.
 
Merry Christmas, everyone!