Cherishing 2009 & Thankful In 2010

So this is Christmas.  Or haven't you heard?  Aaah yes, I'm singing Christmas music once again today!  What a beautiful way to bring joy to the holidays.  In my world, I don't often find anything more moving than a precious tune or powerful lyrics.  It's especially true when it comes to Christmas songs. 

My husband purchased Josh Groban's NOEL cd for me as soon as it was released.  I'm a BIG fan and have seen him in concert twice.  When I listened to the cd last year, I was very busy with projects and visiting with my Mom at the time.  We let the music lift our spirits throughout the holiday, but I never took the time to deeply listen to the album as I normally do with every other piece of music I've purchased over the years. 

This year, as I was creating our special dvd gift for our family & close friends, I was sorting through the songs of the season to include in the background of various scenes.  Amongst my massive music list, Josh Groban's NOEL caught my eye and I knew I had to include at least 1 of his songs.  A one word title, "Thankful," stood out to me and I couldn't remember hearing it last year.  I clicked on the song and felt the beautiful music and lyrics carry me and had a desire to encourage everyone to listen to this wonderful message.

As the lyrics say "...there's so much to be thankful for..."   Over the past week, I've really thought about how true these words are.  My life is far from perfect and I clearly don't have all the answers, but I certainly have an abundance of blessings to be thankful for.  What glorious gifts we have all been given... a spouse, children, family members, friends, and the precious gift of time with loved ones.  We don't know when the day will come for us, or someone we love, to be wrapped into God's loving arms in Heaven.  The time we are given with the people we love is such a wonderful gift to cherish in this life.  

With this thought in mind, I will be spending some special time with dear family & friends over the next couple of weeks.  I'm so thankful for the opportunity to share in their company this holiday.  For those of you reading... I love you all very much and thought I'd take an extra moment to let you know.

As this Christmas quickly approaches, pause and consider what you have to be thankful for.  What one thing are you thankful for this year?

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This will be my final post in 2009!  I hope to catch up on all of the blogs I follow over the next 2 weeks.  Have a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!  Come back on Monday, January 4, 2010 for my next post!

Tell Me A Story: The Sequel

When introduced to my antique Santa decoration, many reacted with the word "creepy."  In fact, my husband swears that the red-eyed St. Nick is evil.  Although he isn't a fan of the Claus sitting on a little tin chimney, I still try to put him out every year.

I could use this to my advantage and terrify my children into being good, but I don't.  My feelings towards this bell ringing Kris Kringle are not of the scary variety.  I honestly have fond thoughts when seeing him sitting out at Christmas time.

You see, this dingy faded Santa Claus is a part of my past.  When I was a young girl, an identical one could be found in my childhood home at Christmas time.  My mother received it from one of her grandmothers and cherished it.  If only for the fact that I adored my Mom and my great-grandmother, I also loved the antique Father Christmas. 

A number of years ago, my Mom purchased a matching Santa from a dear old friend of her's.  Knowing how much I admired the antique Claus, she bestowed me with it as a gift.  It is not the original St. Nick from my childhood, that one remains with my Mom, but it is still a significant object in my home.  Every year when I pull it out of our Christmas storage, I think fondly of my great-grandmother and remember how just how thoughtful my Mom was the year she delivered a Santa Claus just for me.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Does my story change how you feel about this antique Santa?  Does the true story make him less frightful?  Are their any childhood decorations that were passed on to you?  Any decorations from your childhood that you miss?  Please, tell my one special thing about any of your childhood Christmases.

Okay, I Lied

Yes, it's Friday and you should be viewing the full blog about Santa dearest, but obviously you are not.  I've had a few setbacks that have caused a delay and will be postponing the stories about my Santa object until Monday.  If you haven't yet sent me your thoughts, stories, or comments regarding your reaction to this object, you still have time. 

I know you are curious about the setbacks, so without further ado here they are.  Monday & Tuesday were full of school activities.  Our home computer malfunctioned on Wednesday, due to a sneaky virus that got past McAfee, and my husband had to go into repair mode.  As I was using the sewing/embroidery machine that same day, it decided that it wasn't really into the Christmas gifts I was working on.  Due to our disagreement, it will be visiting the sewing shop for repairs ASAP.  Of course Old Man Winter decided to bring on the blizzard like weather of West Michigan, which resulted in 2 snow days and keeping 2 active boys busy indoors.  What fun it is to be called away from your own projects every 5 minutes with an, "I finished it Mom!"  In conclusion, technology, my kids, & the joys of snowfall have me beat this week!

Tell Me A Story

Back in October, I read a fun blog titled "Significant Object" by the fabulous Meg Cabot.  Her blog described a writer's mission involving a photo of an object and the creation of a story about that object in under 500 words.  While decorating for Christmas, this blog popped back into my mind and I decided to propose a similar challenge to my blog followers.  You do not have to be a writer to do this, so please don't feel intimidated. 

Provide a description, story, meaning, or describe your reactions regarding the object in the photos.  Use your imagination and have fun.  On Friday, I will post some of your stories and descriptions, as well as present the true story behind this significant object.

Feel free to comment and email me at: melindamarie@hotmail.com.  The subject line of the email should read: CMOM Blog Santa.

Have a wonderfully creative day!