At the age of ten, I remember opening the hall door and peeking into the living room. My eyes must have sparkled when the twinkling Christmas tree lights lit up the otherwise dark room. A gasp slipped from my lips, and I quickly slapped my hand over my mouth for fear I’d wake up everyone else in the house. The multi-colored glistening of the lights bounced off my new bicycle that stood by the tree. I couldn’t help but giggle with excitement. This scene would have made a great Christmas commercial. Knowing I’d been told not to open that door… 

I love Christmas. I love the festive decorations and twinkling lights. I love what the season represents and witnessing the giving nature in people flourish during this special time of the year. It’s so heartwarming to pull into a drive-thru and find out the person before you paid your bill or to go to a restaurant and discover someone paid for your meal. As I stood in line at the grocery store one day, I spotted a lady digging through her purse while the cashier waited for her to pay. A gentle nudging dropped into my mind that I should… 

With achy feet and tired backs from all the cooking and baking, we exhale a sigh of relief and fall on the sofa. Thanksgiving Day is over, and we have a slight reprieve before another festive family gathering takes place. Take a look at the behind-the-scenes work goes into making these holidays extra special. We sort through recipes for those festive dishes only prepared during the holidays. Make a grocery list, a long list, of all the ingredients needed to make each one. The grocery store is like a major highway with no traffic lights. Long lines at the cash register…