Special Memories at Christmas

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It's late on a Sunday night and the kidlets are all tucked into bed. The livingroom glows with the lights from the Christmas tree and it is quiet (for now).  Memories of Christmas's when I was a kid fill the living room. This next week will zip by in a split second but for now it's quiet.

My mom always made the Holidays so special for us and she did it so seamlessly. Thinking back on it now she really put tons of work into making it look easy.

I was a little bit worried that I might have a harder time getting into the holiday spirit this season because my kids are a little bit older now and the To-Do list for other un-holiday tasks is pretty long. But on Friday an amazing thing happened. On one of my scheduled errands I found that it was taking me less time to get things done than had been planned for so there was an extra hour before I had to be at the next designated Mom Duty. There was not enough time to run home but more time than I had expected to have. In my purse was a Macy's gift card that had been waiting patiently for the perfect moment. I pulled into a fairly packed parking lot with very low expectations and walked into the store with only the plan to spend about 30 minutes of completely self-indulgent window shopping.

The moment I stepped into the store I was immediately whisked away into the Holiday Spirit. The music was perfect, the store was jubilantly decorated, and the place was bustling with shoppers and friendly clerks. It was completely relaxing. I didn't feel under pressure to buy anything but delighted in looking at all of the beautiful costume jewelry, the designer handbags (that even on sale are pretty much beyond my handbag budget), and elegant business suits that I really have no need for. The entire walk through the store just made me happy. I did find a little item that was on one of my kids wish list for this Christmas and so I used the gift card on that and just about then it was time to go. I was filled with the Holiday Spirit.

When I got home I went into the basement and found an old box of Holiday decorations and brought it upstairs. Instead of the regular white candles with golden ornaments that I put on our fireplace mantle I pulled out a Creche that my Mom always displayed on the piano when I was a kid and set it up on the mantle. Now when things get hectic and I am worried about not having the holiday spirit I can sit on the couch and look at the Mantle and remember all of the things my Mom would do for me to make every moment of the Holidays special.

How did your Mom make the Holidays special for you? 

Leave a comment below about your special memory and you could win a $25 dollar gift card to spend any way you want.  If you are the randomly selected winner you will choose from either a Macy's, Nordstroms, or Amazon giftcard. The contest is open to all US Residents and runs through December 20th.

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