Isn’t it grand? I can’t help feeling warm, fuzzy and Spirit-filled at Christmas time. Thanks to my beloved Mom for being positive and influencing all her children to be cheerful souls during the Merry Holidays!

I always wipe a few tears while watching Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, whether the version has the Muppets or Mr. Magoo, Alastair Sims or George C. Scott. Read the book, too! It’s just as good. I love to listen and sing to the Christmas hymns like Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Joy to the World, The First Noel, Silent Night, etc. plus Handel’s Messiah. So inspiring!

Another soul — whom I credit for influencing my writing — is J.R.R. Tolkien. I never knew he’d written Christmas letters to his four sons. Imagine that! A writer spinning wonderful stories of Father Christmas at the North Pole and even illustrating them. Here’s the link to check it out. And here’s a sample illustration.

It’s one thing to be weary of all the hoopla surrounding Christmas (which seems to start before Halloween nowadays!), but choice is at the heart of the holiday season. I was saddened by a comment overheard in the parking lot of a store, “I can’t wait until all this Christmas cr** is over!”  The children accompanying that parent may never view Christmas time with joy, wonder and peace.

Isn’t that what it’s all about? Not the presents, the tree, the cookies and the shopping. Not even Santa, although the jolly old elf surely embodies the Spirit. I hope to always remember that for me, Christmas is about love, sharing with family and friends, taking time to make fresh memories. Christmas is also about Jesus’ birth. Without Him, there would be no reason to mark the day as anything special.

Merry Christmas, friends and family! May 2012 bring happier times as well.