Happy Christmas to All

May you be where you most want to be and feel embraced by warm memories of Christmases Past, if your Christmas Present is not what you hoped it would be.

I wish you warmth, safety and peace of mind. If your thoughts are consumed with worry, sadness or loneliness ... may you feel a cloak of protectiveness comfort you as you proceed gently through the days ahead.

Our Christmas Present feels very untypical. My family is still sleeping. I am more eager to spend the quiet by myself than I am anxious for them to open my gifts. I don't have the perfect gift to give anyone this year. The gifts under the tree do not represent how I feel. Fail ...

Mom may or may not come out to spend the holidays with us. She is not a winter traveller and the winter weather has not made her choice easy. I think it is more important for her to feel safe and warm in the comfort of her own home, than it is to trek out by bus on a cold, December day. I hope she chooses what she most wants to do.

A very good friend of mine is spending her first Christmas without her parents. I cannot help but think of her family's traditions that will change this year ...

Another friend who absolutely loves Christmas and all it stands for has been dealt some tough blows this year. She has terminal cancer. I cannot help but think of this Christmas and how bittersweet it could be ...

My mom's sister is back in the hospital. I have been thinking of her and her family a lot ever since I heard that she was readmitted a few days ago. It has been a rough year for her as well ...

Imperfect family dynamics make me think of others, as people everywhere deem this a day where families put aside their differences and try to make the most of this day. If everyone could leave their baggage at the door, it could open the doors of communication. That is much easier said than done. It is hard to erase years of hurt because it is Christmas day ...

I feel very melancholy this year. I know and appreciate how blessed I am ...

My family is stirring. It is time to go and make the most of this day.

No matter where you are or who you are with ... I wish you 'Happiness'. My wish for you is to wake up with a light heart that will carry with you through the day.