Very shortly, my car will be covered with snow…again.

But the aroma of cinnamon rolls is wafting throughout the house, the tree is illuminating the living room, Ralph is preparing the turkey, and all is quiet.

No excited children up at this hour, that time is in the past for us. They all are sleeping, home, snug in their beds.

I am enjoying all of the pictures of young children on Facebook awaiting Christmas. Going to bed early, leaving cookies for Santa, up very early, sitting around the tree.

When our kids were young, Christmas pictures were shared after Christmas…through the mail or in person. Christmas wishes for those far away were wished by telephone. We used to call my parents, who lived in Florida at the time, and sing “We wish you a Merry Christmas.”

Some of our traditions still linger. We still buy a box of Whitman’s chocolates and open them when everyone is home. We still put up the giant Christmas tree that touches the ceiling, even though this year, it is the worse for wear. We’ve never been able to put an angel or star on top…even with a ladder.

Yet it has been our tree for 17 years, filled with ornaments bought or made year by year. We have too many ornaments now to put on our giant trees. Maybe we’ll start passing some of them on to the kids for their own trees in a few years.

Well, the cinnamon rolls have roused one sleeping 20 something from her bed…so I need to go.

May you have a blessed Christmas.

Ann