Merry Christmas!

 

We are very much living in the spirit of Christmas. We are jolly happy souls sipping vanilla steamers, peppermint mochas, eggnog lattes and overall indulging in all things Christmas-y.

 

Sometimes on those cold afternoons, underneath the rumble of the furnace kicking in, I hear the faraway jangle of Santa's sleigh. Either my imagination is running wild from watching all those Christmas movies, or it's from drinking too much eggnog mixed with Sprite. Either way, merriment is in the air.

 

We can hardly believe that tomorrow will be Christmas Eve! The girls are filled to the brim with joy and candy, and they mostly can't wait for Christmas. This overwhelming desire to wake up on Christmas morning to toys and games all shoved under the tree and stuffed into stockings is almost too much excitement for them to bear. Alex is marking off the days on her calendar while Sammy is turning more cartwheels than ever before -- they are bursting with anticipation. I too am anxious to see their astonishment on Christmas morning.

 

 

And so tonight, on this eve before Christmas Eve, I'll sit with my children to watch yet another Christmas flick-- The Santa Clause 2, and in between laughing and eating popcorn, I'll be secretly savoring the moment and plotting the perfect time to start wrapping the remaining presents. I fear that I'll be up late tonight doing Santa's work, but it will be worth it.

 

Merry Christmas, friends!  

The Gift of Life

 

My daughters mean the world to me.

 

My girls are small, full of wonder and mischief, and possess a seemingly endless appetite for treats. Together we sometimes argue, and sometimes we laugh. We often snuggle and tickle each other. Sometimes the two of them screech, or wrestle or stick their tongues out at each other. More often than not, they play together, happily. They eat breakfast together and do their homework together. They go to bed at night in the same room, bunk beds. They are almost three years apart and yet they share many of the same interests in toys, movies and food. They both have a love / hate relationship with their long hair. They both enjoy shoe shopping a little too much. They love each other.

 

My children, like most children, are incredibly honest. They are unafraid to say what's on their minds.

 

The other day I wore a short skirt, knit sweater, tights and ankle boots. I asked Alex what she thought of my outfit and she said, "Mom, no offense, but... those are really weird looking shoes, and no offense, but I would just change out of the whole thing." Wow, that stung a little. 

 

Sammy is blossoming into a spunky tween. She wants to experiment with fashion, listen to music and watch popular TV shows. Sammy wants a cellphone. Well, think again Missy because that's not gonna happen. 

 

I'm grateful for the small moments that we share together, happy or sad -- be it Sammy pleading for a cellphone, or Alex commenting on my weird shoes -- these girls are my heart. I want to protect them and keep them alive. I don't want their happiness and joyful spirits to be extinguished by news of gun violence, bombings, or planes crashing into buildings. They're much too young to be burdened by these atrocities.

 

I am so heartbroken and angry about what happened to those small children of Sandy Hook Elementary. Those beautiful, curious, wide-eyed children of Sandy Hook Elementary... I'm so sad. The parents and siblings and friends and grandparents and all those who loved them unconditionally will forever be changed by this horrific event.

 

What I wish for most this Christmas is that my children be given the gift of longevity. I want them to someday see the world not how it is today, but how it might be in the future. There might possibly come a day when the world truly is a better place. I have to believe that something will change or have been learned as a result of what happened in Connecticut. As a society, we have to quickly make a unified decision about what we want the future of our nation to look like for our children's lives depend on it.