"Christmas Is..."

There is a song called "Christmas Is" and it is a favorite of mine - one of those songs you hear late at night on Christmas Eve with the radio playing low, usually sung by the Percy Faith Orchestra or Perry Como.

"Christmas is children who just can't go to sleep.
Christmas is memories, the kind you always keep.
Deck the halls and give a cheer - for all the things
That Christmas is each year...."

Christmas is many things to many people, but to me Christmas is a feeling that you find when you least expect it. And I keep finding it every year - sometimes it is a little more elusive than other years but it always shows up. I have found Christmas in many places - I have found it in Woolworth's notions department or the drug store counter, I have found it on ski hills, I have found it in church and in the emergency ward while suffering from the flu. I have found it skating alone on a frozen pond and I have found it driving in my car. I have found it late at night on the TV and I have found it in the maternity ward. One year I even found it in the palliative care ward.... that one was a little hard to find, but there it was.

I have found it in run down apartments and I have found it in beautiful homes with fireplaces aglow. It doesn't matter where it is, as long as you recognize it when you find it. It might not always be shiny and wrapped in tinsel, it might even hurt a little - sometimes joy comes at a price. I know what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown, and so do you. My advice at this time of year is to just leave yourself open to all the possibilities.... stay calm, be brave - wait for the signs.

Christmas is where you find it - but don't go looking for it, it will find you. Of course there are places where Christmas is a little easier to find and there are places where it will positively hit you over the head. I hope you find Christmas again this year and if not, I hope Christmas finds you.