Grace In The Air

 By Maryanna Gabriel 


I was reading a badly written article by a younger woman who felt the best way to bring back her long lost childhood experience of Christmas was to relegate her phone to some basket and give her friends goody bags if they did the same. This way they could actually talk to one another. Sigh. 

My personal technique is to get everything done in November so that when December dawns, it feels like January. No fear, though. I get my second wind. It's like having two Christmases. The bleakness of November is sprinkled with cheer and the remaining pistachio nuts, and by December, I am relaxed.

Sugar and spice....

This lady's article got me to thinking. Why does Christmas make me happy? I sat and wrote a whole page of silly stuff, the kind of stuff everyone says to themselves about eliminating stress and then thought, nah.... what am I really after here? C'mon Maryanna. Give me the goods. 

More than the crinkle of paper, the rum apple butter, the cookies, the lights, the kindness implied, the magic. For me? It's a certain something in the air. An angelic presence is the best I can describe it. Grace.

Whatever it is, it makes me happy.