My Mother and Father could never tell me when it was Christmas, as the thought of all of the fun filled family moments would make me utterly sick with excitement. I would lie awake, which seemed to be all night long, waiting for the noise of his sleigh bells, the sound of glistening snow tapping my bedroom window, the moon shining through our living room window and Santa’s arrival. Mom would decorate a circle of greens with ornaments of shiny red and gold which included sprigs of holly, the tiniest little red berries and a golden bow. The wreath’s fragrance of the forest permeated our home before our family walked through the front door. I knew Christmas was getting closer, and the man who had white hair, and a red suit, would bring special toys to my two sisters and I. I would save my small allowance so I could walk to the Red Letter Gift shop to buy my parents something beautiful. My next clue that my favorite holiday was approaching was the daily arrival of the man in the white truck who delivered our mail…beautiful shiny, shimmering holiday wreath cards. These cards looked just like the wreath my Mom dressed up for our big wooden door. Perhaps she got her idea from those cards. Many other cards were decorated with white sparkling snow covering pointed green trees that led me to even more anticipation. I knew that Dad would soon take all of us to pick out our Christmas tree.
Christmas has always blessed my family with so many extraordinary memories. I have always remembered the excited feeling I got when all of my parent’s very special friends and family took the time to send us their beautiful shiny, shimmering Christmas cards. These friends always wrote a special wish for us. In the time of computers, email and cell phones, some have forgotten about the beauty and the thrilling feelings that Christmas cards deliver to your heart. I learned the thought, time and personal touch a Christmas card brings to my favorite holiday warms the heart for a life time. I continue to encourage my own children that a Christmas card or any type of greeting card will warm, encourage and make a special person smile. And to all a good night!
I can’t tell you how many different decorations my parents experimented with. There really are too many to remember. The one consistent decoration, however, was a wreath on our front door. It definitely is a big symbol of Christmas for me.
I have a wreath for every season on my front door, but when Christmas comes I have wreaths all over the house. They really do represent Xmas. Now I think I want to get a wreath card this year!