Christmas Contentment

I was sitting here this morning thinking about what I should write about. The house is quiet (Aaron is off to work and the kids are still in bed), I am surrounded by all of my Christmas decorations and I'm listening to Laurence Juber's "Winter Guitar" (ten points to Griffindor if you even know who Laurence Juber is.... Aaron, you don't count ;o) I am feeling very peaceful and content at the moment.

 

Peace and contentment. I like that. I feel good. That is what I am going to write about - what brings me peace, contentment and the holiday spirit. 

 

In the hustle of Christmas it is very easy to loose sight of the prize. We spend so many of our hours stressing our credit cards, expanding our waist lines and checking things off of our to do lists we sometimes forget to enjoy the moment. Here are the things I love at Christmas that really put me in the Christmas spirit and bring me peace - in no particular order:

Decorations. I know that Aaron hates me dragging my boxes and boxes of holiday bling out. He hates clutter and needs a lot of space. Sometimes the decorations have a way of taking over. I got mine up late this year because I was waiting for Jess to get home from school so she could be a part of the decorating. It just wasn't feeling like Christmas to me at all without any of my decorations out. We finally got a bit of our things out, but were trying to keep it low key, since we are going to be out of town for Christmas. We even thought about not putting up the tree since we are going to be gone..... um, that lasted about three days and I couldn't take it any more, it's up. There is something so peaceful to me in the lights on the tree, all of the presents lovingly wrapped and placed underneath, that it was too hard for me to go without it.

 

Music. I love music. Aaron and I are very musically driven - Aaron more so, it's his passion, but I am not far behind. Music is such a powerful thing it can switch your mood in an instant. Pop in some great Christmas music and you have insta spirit oozing in your house. Here are my top five Christmas CD's that I listen to every year:

 

Laurence Juber - Winter Guitar

Bing Crosby - White Christmas

Brian Setzer Orchestra - Boogie Woogie Christmas

Brad Paisley - A Brad Paisley Christmas

Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker

 

Movies. I am a movie nut. I love to watch a good movie and Holiday movies are no exception. I love all of the holiday specials that come on and have quite a collection of them myself. Check out my post "My Favorite Christmas Movies" to see what is always on the viewing list each year.

 

Sugar Cookies. I am not usually driven and motivated by food - thank goodness I was blessed with that - but there is something about sugar cookies at Christmas that really makes me feel content. Curling up with a tea and a couple of sugar cookies really hits my pleasure spot. It would not be totally Christmas without this simple ritual. If you would like the best sugar cookie recipe in the world, check out my last post "Sugar Cookies".

Family and Friends. This is last, but not even close to least. This is what it's all about Charlie Brown! Just like in Whoville, when all the trimmings and trappings were taken away, and those little Who's were left with nothing, it didn't diminish their Christmas spirit because they still had what really mattered. My family and friends are so dear to me that I could go the entire Holiday season without any decorations and not a single present under the tree if it meant that I would have my whole family together. I am most content when I am surrounded by the ones I love.