Merry Christmas!

"Of all the Charlie Browns in the world, you're the Charlie Browniest."

To all of my fellow Charlie Browns, I hope that you have managed to find some magic in the air this Christmas.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Sparkle and Light

Well, another Christmas has come and gone. I hope your day was full of sparkle and light.

(Post) Christmas Smiles

I am inexpressibly happy right now. So, here are some things that made me smile on Christmas Day:

Mini mandarin oranges with mini leaves still attached.

A giant pile of German potato pancakes for brunch.

Curly wicks on candles.

Sparkly/beaded/glittery Christmas ornaments.

Sitting in a dark room staring at the lights on the tree.

I hope your Christmas had some moments to make you smile.

Bring on the magic

On Thursday night my parents and I went to the Barra MacNeils' Christmas concert. They tour every couple of years and it has become a bit of a tradition for us to go to the show. This music is what makes me feel like it is officially Christmas. So even though the show was exactly a month before Christmas, and the weather outside has turned more spring-like than Christmas-y, I feel like it is now officially the Christmas season. Bring on the Christmas music, the lights, the tinsel, the gift wrap, the ribbons, the decorations, the glitter...bring on the magic. Because there really is something magical about Christmas-time. It doesn't matter how old I get, I still love this time of year. I love it for different reasons now. The presents matter less (although I do have strong opinions about the practice of gift-giving, but I will save those for another time), but the love matters more. Getting dressed up matters less, but the beauty matters more. Getting time off from work and school matters less, but the practice of taking some time to breathe and enjoy life matters more. Eating lots of food matters less, but spending time with family and friends matters more. Don't get me wrong, I still love presents and holiday meals and getting dressed up and getting time off from school. It's just that as I get older other things begin to be more important than all of that. I think part of the magic for me though comes from the plethora of lights that emerges at Christmas. I am obsessed with light. I am constantly struck with a sense of wonder and magic by light, so the light-filled holiday season is right up my alley. Whatever the reason for all this magic, I say bring it on. My Christmas season has official begun with a dose of east coast music that allowed me to forget for a few hours that I am currently living in Edmonton and drowning in homework. If that's not magic, I don't know what is.