Let me make something very clear, I love Christmas.  I love everything about it, even tacky Christmas sweaters which I may not personally wear but I applaud those who do.  I love any effort of Christmas lights, be it the large bulb’d variety and plastic snowmen of years past or an all white display or a colorful LED extravaganza.  To me it’s less about how the lights look and more about making the effort. I have been known to take lives straight into danger by stopping in the middle of a busy street to look at a house’s light display.  People drive too fast!

What I mostly love about Christmas is my family.  Those precious hours when phones get put down (no one’s calling), jammies get put on (we aren’t going anywhere) and we sit around an enjoy the sounds and conversation and each others unique existence in our lives.  Yes, we open presents and yes I love that part also.  But we lost a family member this year and while it’s hard to think about a Christmas without him, I’m humbled and proud that we have always done Christmas right and have focused on what matters most, each other.  So this year when we look back, it will be with joyful remembrance.

Melvin loves Christmas for similar reasons (minus the lights, blinking lights tend to freak him out).  It is the one holiday where all his favorite people are in one house. Where a bit of chaos is welcome which means he gets to see (and chase) his two four-legged cousins Sunny & Ben for hours and hours.  Sunny & Ben have a combined weight of 40 pounds and it is pure comedy at its finest to see Ben run past, then Sunny, then…. wait for it, Melvin comes running around the corner his size slowing him down but his determination to catch up shining brightly.  Thankfully they all get a along (for the most part). Melvin will get stuck in one of their travel crates at least ten times (he gets stuck at the shoulders then tries to walk around with it on his head to seek help).  He will inevitably eat something he shouldn’t, develop stinky gas and then sleep straight through the 26th and 27th.

True, wonderful, perfect bliss.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays!  May you always find the joy!