Christmas Spirit

I must admit that I am not one of those whole-hog Christmas people. I do not start playing Christmas music right after Thanksgiving; I do not decorate our house to the nines; I do not have treats for the bus drivers, mailmen, and veterinarians that make my life easier. What I do have, this time of year, is a deep respect for the traditions I remember from childhood and a hope that my kids will take from these innocent and golden years some wonderful memories of holiday cheer. We have a tree and a few bits of Christmas around the rest of the house. We are collecting special ornaments to celebrate talents and events. We make treats for our teachers and friends. We will go see the lights in the park and drive through some neighborhoods to take in the light displays. We read a Christmas book every night before bed and we will end this on Christmas Eve with the nativity story in Luke 2. We cleaned out our toy collection and donated to the local collections for needy kids. We shopped for James' angel tree at work and talked about how we have to help people and live our testimonies. Santa will still come, but, he is a kind, generous man who gives because he loves children. The holiday is still about the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and the never-ending love and gifts that He gives to us. Merry Christmas, everyone.