Merry Christmas!

It’s really early Christmas morning, my favorite time. I was thinking about how much Angie loves Christmas. Angie always loved being in the kitchen when I baked Christmas cookies. She loved helping, so my Mom and I’d put the bowl on her try so she would be able to “help.” It always made her smile. And when it was time to decorate, Angie would love to decide what color icing and sprinkles to use. We’d point and she’d either shake her head no or smile for yes. And of course, she’d love to eat her cookies. In addition, she’d also help wrap gifts by deciding what paper and ribbon to use. As a family we all tried to include her in everything we could. I believe she really felt loved and accepted. One of my favorite memories was the tradition of watching “White Christmas” with my Mom and Angie. She loved it when we’d watch movies together. There were other traditions we had too.

My parents gave us a Cincinnati Zoo membership every year as a Christmas gift. This was one of those gifts that kept on giving all year long. And every Christmas season the zoo had a Festival of Lights. When it wasn’t too terribly cold we’d all go to the zoo and enjoy the lights, visit Santa and our favorite animals.  We’d even drink hot chocolate. Sometimes my parents came along and sometimes we’d bring other friends or family members. Angie’s brother John would always tell us he went to the zoo so often that he knew all the animals by their first names. I will always be grateful for the happy times at the zoo.

Today it’s different, because we’re no longer together.  We all live in different cities and my parents, grandma and grandpa, have long since passed, but those happy memories live on for me and my children. I personally believe that making happy memories is critical. I believe that those happy days give us strength and courage to face some the of the more difficult days. So, my hope for you this year is that you create your own happy memory. We’ll all be heading to Cincinnati this week and maybe, just maybe, we can take our grandchildren to the zoo.

Best Christmas Gift Ever!! :)