Coutu 2010 Holiday Special

The oven timer did its little ding and my bum vaulted over the counter. In essence, I bolted. Skipped the oven mitt for a wet dish rag next to the stove, slid that brown beauty off the rack, flipped it out of the pan, cut a thick slice (or four), buttered it generously and ate it in the most embarrassing fashion. Hunched over the counter, crumbs falling, licking my lips...it was insane--in that heavenly-nectar-of-the-gods kind of way.

If I could enter a little sound clip, it would be a choir of angels. It was of course Kevin’s homemade banana bread. Silly reaction I know… but it is the start of the Christmas season and all the magic that comes with it.

Christmas time – it is spell-binding in its own right. From here on out, our family will experience blessed madness...starting with putting up the Christmas decorations, lighting of the candles with the promise that brings the scents of home into our place, to baking all the yummy dishes, wrapping presents and, of course, asking the post office if they have any prettier stamps for the holiday mailers.

Christmas…. Aaaah, is just one of those things. Like church is to some people. Or getting tickets to their favorite sporting event. Or watching a sunset. Or drinking wine. It is one of those things that opens up my senses, creates a zone, pulls me out into this bird's eye view where, with every whoosh-whoosh of my breath, every thump-thump of my heart, every beat of my pulse...I am in deep thought. About life. Including all the negative but more importantly all the positive things in life, like all of our dreams and how to get there. And knowing if you can be with the ones you love this time of year, you have it made Baby and you can do anything.

It is magnificent, really. That I-can-do-anything feeling that comes and stays and propels you to prepare your house for the holidays, play with the dogs, bake to your heart’s content, and smile as you ponder just how fantastic you are going to make the holidays for your family and friends.

Merry Christmas Everyone