This Is My Wish

Every year I tell you how much I love Christmas. And I do. I love the lights, the glitz, the aromas associated with this time of year, the cold weather (which has been absent this year--rainy and warm all December long), the good cheer, the hearty wishes for a merry day, the church when it's all lit up, the movies, the giving spirit that prevails--every last bit of it, both secular and sacred. Top to bottom, all around, and back again.

I do have a confession, though. I often find myself low on Christmas spirit. Gasp! I know. How? I'm in the running for chief elf, I get very Bob Cratchity with my "But it's Christmas!" urgings, I'm a charitable being, and so on and so forth. But I find myself mentally lamenting (a la Santa Claus via Ed Asner in Elf) "There's just no Christmas spirit anymore!"

And then, this year, I realized my mistake. I was looking somewhere else for it, as though songs on the radio or just the right candle scent hold the key to holiday happiness. That's not how it works, apparently. It comes from within you. It's a teeny bit of light that grows brighter and warmer the more that you let others in, until you're consumed by yuletide cheer. I've been looking for it all month, and I found it today.

My Christmas wish for you: may your candle burn bright.

Love and hugs, you glorious beings!