Dear World- It’s me- Tilly
I realize that not everyone has embraced the holiday spirit yet this year; I know some of you have different traditions and do not celebrate Christmas; or are just down-right Scrooge-like; I know too that some of you may be grumbling and saying- “it’s way to early for all these Christmas posts”- however I am keenly aware of how damn happy this time of year makes me. There is a reason why “it’s the most wonderful time of year.”
It is not that everyone is a little bit kinder this time of year — some aren’t but I still get excited the first time I walk through a store and see Christmas decorations and trees on display. Every year, I find myself counting down the days until my local radio station begins to play non-stop Christmas music.
So, I ponder one question: Why has this feeling not been lost on me yet? Why am I not jaded as too many are?
I believe it is the little things and the traditions about this season that keep me excited this time of year. I believe while unpacking all of that mistletoe, holly and tangled Christmas lights; I also unpack the feelings of years gone by.
My Parents- Christmas 1977
Nostalgia and the smell of pine fill the house and I remember the house I grew up in. The holiday season, to me, is a true and honest escapism back into my childhood when life was simpler, sweeter and more innocent. I didn’t just believe in the magic of Santa, I was positive it was all very real.
A line from one of my favorite holiday songs goes, “Through the years, we all will be together, if the fates allow.” As an adult, I know how truly lucky we are if we are all here this time next year together; that life is short and loved ones lost.
Life is fleeting, and nothing is guaranteed. I am eternally grateful for another year with family and friends. Though the magic and anticipation I felt as a child have transformed into what I feel today, it is still magic, nonetheless.
And in my little way, I want to spread the magic for as long as I can; and hopefully….just maybe….a flicker of the magic will catch on and before you know it, we are all in a “happy place.’
Sending love on the wings of the wind ~T~
Tilly Rivers 