Holidays

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...fragrances; cakes, candles, berries, kitchens, pine and cedar...and peeking out under the boughs...a manger scene. CHRISTMAS IS cold weather, hot chocolate, warm handshakes, and watching for the postman.

CHRISTMAS IS the sound of Salvation Army bells and bright-eyed children...toys, candy canes, brightly colored lights, doll-babies and electric trains. It is a time for thinking of 'home' and remembering 'how it used to be'...but can never be again. It is the bittersweet realization that some of life has forever fled and memories must suffice.

CHRISTMAS IS...the time of "Silent Night" and "Joy to the World." It is the time to think of other friends and other places...a time for hot tea and peppermint.

CHRISTMAS IS...hustle and bustle, traffic jams, waiting in line, overworked Santas, too few parking places. It is a time of short tempers, reckless drivers, overwrought, overspent shoppers...disappointed by another, "Sorry, we just sold the last one." And, "No, we do not expect another shipment this season."...still peeking from under the fragrant boughs is the simple, caring, gentle, loving, compassionate, unchanging, and forgiving Manger Scene, of which...CHRISTMAS IS!

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