I made my list and checked it twice, and the stockings are hung by the
chimney with care. For many days this past month, my husband and I managed clandestine shopping trips and gift wrapping sessions around
the schedules of a few baby sitters who kept the kids occupied while we
morphed into Santa for a few hours. We decorated the tree and somehow, my husband
remembered to water it every few days. It's now standing tall and sparkling
above the many wrapped gifts that Santa brought through the chimney just a few hours ago. He ate all the cookies my kids made for him too!
The sun will rise soon on this Christmas morning 2005. It's very quiet in my home
and office as I enjoy one of the tasks I anticipate with great
joy each year --
sitting here at my laptop with a large cup of hot chocolate and marshmallows,
sending a holiday message to you.
At this early hour on Christmas morning, the world seems to have stopped turning.
Children are long tucked in, having been assured that the earlier they go to
sleep, the sooner Santa will arrive. Parents are (hopefully) done with their
annual Santa Assistant duties and have collapsed onto the couch and allowed the warm
glow of a lit fireplace to lull them to sleep. (That would be my husband a few
hours ago.) For me, it's a quiet opportunity to reflect on the past 12 months of
remarkable accomplishments of the Handmade Beauty Network members and
Handmade Beauty Connection Newsletter subscribers that I have come to know.
Despite its commercialism, Christmas Day is still a time of authentic joy for so
many reasons, and it seems there is no end to the variety of ways people
celebrate it. For me, it marks the birth of The Christ who has replaced enormous
despair with genuine contentment and optimism in my life. It also marks a time
when family and friends gather around scrumptious meals. And the traditional giving
and receiving of gifts provides us with a tangible representation of how much we
are appreciated by those who love us.
Of all the Christmas gifts I may receive later today, I count each and every one of you
to be among the most supreme of all. Each week, I am invited into your lives
to share my thoughts and impressions and to tell you about some of the most
remarkable people and products in the universe. Through product reviews, member spotlights,
new member and member renewal announcements and Lifestyle CEO updates, I have an
unparalleled opportunity to contribute something of value to your week. I hope I
have done that this year.
Being
able to share with you is one of my greatest joys and I cannot
imagine my life without you. You are a most precious gift, and as the dawn
breaks on this cold winter morning, I wish you a Christmas Day filled with
unadulterated joy and the kind of random displays of kindness and generosity
that make the holiday season so special.
