Friday, December 23, 2011

The magic of the season

Where did December go?  Today is my hubby and I's dating anniversary and I love that we still celebrate that.  We're getting each other gifts this year, I'll update ya on what I get later.  Then I can spill the beans on what I got him.

Tomorrow is my favorite day of the year.  There is something so magical about Christmas Eve.  It reminds you of that anticipation you had as a kid tossing and turning waiting for Santa Claus to come.  I remember one year when a kid at school tried to tell me that Santa didn't exist.  I was going to sleep under the tree and catch him.  I laid down and stared up at the lights interwoven in the Christmas tree with the Pickwick Living Voices The Little Drummer Boy playing in the background.  I was gonna do it.  I was going to catch him.  I was gonna...wake up in my bed after being moved in the middle of the night.  Damn.  The following year, I left a contract out for him to sign proving he was real and of course he signed it.  He had really pretty handwriting.  Very ornate...and similar to my mom's.  But I was good with it.  Little did I know that Santa was the spirit of Christmas carried on for generations from the days of Saint Nicholas.  Everyone who celebrates Christmas takes on that privilege to carry on the tradition and spirit of giving.  A right jolly old elf might not come through my fireplace anymore but I was reminded by a friend what that spirit of giving really means.

A few years back they were in a financial tight spot and things were really tough.  Her youngest had his heart set on a specific Spiderman toy and it broke her heart that things seemed so bleak at holiday time.  I offered to get it for him as well as a family gift and she said they loved playing board games as a family.  So we went all over town until we found her son's toy, a good board game she suggested and added a $50 gift card to the local grocery store so they could get a full Christmas dinner prepared.  She was overwhelmed and her gratitude was enough thanks, I told her just to pay it forward one day.  She did just that this Christmas to a woman who was about to be evicted and gave her the $100 they were short for rent when no one else could help them.  In addition to that, she told me that a kid was telling her youngest this year that Santa wasn't real and he said yes he was and he knew that because a few years ago he got the toy he wanted and his parents couldn't afford it that year so Santa DID exist.  It brought tears to my eyes and was worth every penny to allow a little boy hang on to his childhood a little longer.

Wishing you all a magical Christmas!

Edit:  Here's our dating anniversary take:


Yep, that would be the original Strawberry Shortcake I had as a kid...whose hair still smells like Strawberry and my beloved Fashion Plates!  If you follow me on Pinterest, you know that these were pinned AFTER he bought these on my Childhood Favorites board!  So he done good.  I got him some snowshoes which he was hoping for money this year to buy them but it didn't look good so I got them for him.  He was thrilled!  It's gonna be a great Christmas!  Happy Anniversary honey!
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10 comments:

  1. Congrats to you and the Mr.! Wishing you many more happy years. Thank you for sharing your story, it brought tears to my eyes. This world is so full of hate and sadness, and it's so great to hear that there are still wonderful people out there. Have a very Merry Christmas!

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  2. How sweet to pay it forward like that and help others who are less fortunate. I should give more.

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  3. Thank you for sharing your wonderful story. Thanks also for reminding me of those days when I was just too excited to go to sleep on Christmas Eve!

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  4. Aww, sweet story and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!! I love the fun you two have celebrating together--reminds me of me and my honey! Have a very wonderfully Merry Christmas!

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  5. We have a dating anniversary too. We don't generally do gifts, but we still make a point to recognize it.

    Those are awesome gifts. Happy Christmas Eve tomorrow! And Happy Christmas too.

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  6. Aww, you guys are so sweet. Do y'all happen to have a spare room? I think I'd like to move in. :)

    Happy anniversary and a very Merry Christmas!

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  7. I love your blog!!!! Makes my heart all warm inside to read your posts - that you have an anniversary for dating and well, I could go on!!

    My son is 10 and just the other day turned to me and said, "isn't it crazy that people don't believe - you still believe don't you Mom", and I proudly said Yes. I love that he is going to try to sleep on the couch again (3 years and counting) to see if he can catch that little Red Suit...(yes, it becomes a long drawn out 2 hour process, but Santa has not been caught yet)

    Merry Merry Happy Happy Joy Joy!!!

    MO

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  8. Your story seriously brought tears to my own eyes! Thank you for the reminder that Santa lives in all of us and we all have opportunities to let that spirit loose if we are paying attention to the important things in life! :-)

    And I didn't even need to read on past the pic to KNOW that those were freaking FASHION PLATES!!! OMG!! I love, love, loved those as a kid!!!!!! You're a lucky girl, yes indeedy you are!!!

    Hope you and the Mr. have a wonderful holiday weekend! Sending you both much, much love and warmth!!!

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  9. That is a wonderful story to share and I am so glad we did the right thing by that little guy.

    I love my snowshoes and am so happy that you like your gifts too. Who needs jewelry when you have fashion plates!

    Thanks for 20 years of life together that just wouldn't be right any other way honey!

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  10. What a wonderful thing to celebrate. Happy Dating Anniversary!! I love the pay it forward story. We have one in the making!! My friends are the best in the world. I am pretty sure I told you about the friend of my daughter's that we helped at Thanksgiving. Over Christmas, one of my clients picked up the campaign. She gathered an army of love together and they surpassed even what we did at Thanksgiving. This mother and child had their burdens of facing eviction lifted AND they were blessed with lagniappe (LAN-yapp as we say here in New Orleans, meaning a little something extra for nothing) to make their holidays brighter. How GOOD it is to give and to KNOW it's an investment into someone ELSE's future when this little family pays it forward!! You can never go wrong with giving!

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