Dear Reader:

Quinn Caldwell, in his usual witty and ” right on target” outlooks on life started his December meditation commenting ” Sometimes I think we ask too much of home.” At Christmas it is supposed to smell constantly of fresh-baked cookies, be filled with laughter and merriment, warmth and endearment, acceptance and openness to one and all. He concludes ” It’s the locus of so much nostalgia that it’s no wonder it tends to collapse under the weight of Great Expectations.”

Guilty as charged… I blame it on my addiction to Hallmark Christmas movies. And even though, to date, I have never pulled off anything close to a ” Hallmark Holiday” … hope stubbornly drives me forward seasonally…to try again.

Surely if I just start earlier, stick to the list, and stay focused… I can pull off the perfect Christmas… as smooth as those ” Three Ships that Came Sailing in on Christmas Day”

Instead reality check… not only does my ship not come sailing in … but usually neither does the Fed Ex or Amazon truck/van before Christmas …with the very gift for the one person’s name you drew.

And even if I have my plans cemented in stone… they usually dissipate under others last minute changes that throw the whole happy home gathering scattered and disassembled. And yet even knowing this… I think every year ” … it will be different.”

Yesterday … God chuckled and threw a Christmas wink my way. Original Plan: Operation Boo Christmas Tree. For several years now Tommy has helped pick out, put up, and ” light” my tree … even untangling cords.

This year Walsh was playing in a golf tournament in memory of a friend in his high school class who passed, so several high school buddies had come to town to participate too. They were playing at Miler-just down the block from me… Mollie and Rutledge were out of town for one of his Lacrosse tournaments… so I was keeping Lachlan and Eloise while Walsh participated in the golf tournament.

Tommy picked out my tree but he had some other plans he needed to take care of…so he took the tree to Walsh to bring early yesterday morning when he dropped off the kids, and get it in the house and set up. They were running late ( plumbing problems) but somehow the tree was standing up and alone when he left…so far so good.

I was planning on having Lachlan and Eloise help me trim the tree but what about the lights now? I hadn’t put cords of lights on a tree in a decade at least. Start at top? Bottom? Now figure out each end of the cord and have end… fit in the socket.

Then Tommy called… Mandy, Eva Cate and Jake were on their way and Mandy could help me get the lights on so the kids could trim the tree!

This crazy ( throw out the old plans) day… ended up being fun… unorganized, chaotic, and perfect… the closest to a Hallmark moment as I will probably ever get!

We all went out to lunch, then went strolling downtown, literally out of the blue…the children were selected to see Santa in an old Victorian home by the railroad ( right place at the right time) -bring the only children there/had Santa all to themselves. Euphoria!

So until tomorrow… remember… our homes can’t deliver Christmas, no matter the lights, trees, or baking goodies. Your home can’t deliver it, but God can, and His porch light stays on all year!

I texted Tommy, Walsh, and Mandy to thank my three grown children for all being part of a plan to bring a Christmas tree to mom. I am so blessed! Love you!

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Caldwell concludes… ” This Christmas make just one small change and dedicate it to God!!”