Simply Christmas

During the fall of my kindergarten year, my family packed up and moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. While it had always been a family favorite vacation destination, we left our home and moved due to my Dad's new position at a local company. While our house was still on the market in Ohio, we now were living in a little rental home. A small two bedroom winter home for a pair of snow birds who lived up north during the Summer.

I remember two very important things that I loved about that Christmas. One being that my very lovely Mommy didn't know how to decorate our Christmas tree due to the fact that all of our family ornaments were still in Ohio. So, she resorted to using red velvet bows to decorate the Christmas tree. In my child like mind, this is still the prettiest tree we ever had as a family. My Mom taking something so simple and making something so beautiful was amazing to me. I know she didn't think that it was perfect, but I did. I am sure that as my Mom tied on all those little bows, she would never know the impact that it would have on me. But, I will never forget that little tree. To help me never to forget, I always put up red bows in my own home to remind me of simpler times and my Mommy.

The second thing I loved about that Christmas is singing in our schools Christmas concert. We sang O Come All Ye Faithful. To this day, I still remember wearing my floor length (hey it was the 70's) red velvet dress and singing that song at the top of my lungs. I remember being hugged so tight after the concert by both parents because they were so proud.

For children, Christmas doesn't have to be perfect to be special. It is how we act as parents and live our lives that make the most wonderful memories for our children.