Journal Your Christmas Day 4

I missed writing yesterday's journal entry because my grandfather died, and writing about my vision of a "perfect" Christmas was frankly not appealing. While I am trying to keep in mind that he would not want our whole family to just suddenly stop celebrating the Christmas season to mourn him, it is feeling a little bittersweet. In honor of Grampy's love of big band and the classic crooners, I am listening to Mr. Frank Sinatra's "Let It Snow". I think much of my idea of the perfect Christmas is very much wrapped up in the music - having the perfect "soundtrack" for the festivities. Jazzy classics like Ella Fitzgerald's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (currently my ringtone!) and Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" are among my favorites. I also love Garth Brooks' Christmas songs (and I'm NOT a country fan!) and pretty much everything on the Ray Charles Christmas CD I bought last year. I love the classical Christmas music too - carols like Silent Night and O Holy Night, the Nutcracker, the religious cantatas, etc. My perfect Christmas involves a lot of hanging out quietly by the Christmas tree, in the glow of the lights, eating Christmas cookies, and listening to my favorite Christmas songs. The quiet moment after coming home from my aunt Cindy's annual Christmas Eve party, knowing that all the shopping and wrapping and baking is all over, just enjoying the anticipation of the next morning. I feel pretty lucky in that the most perfect Christmas I can imagine is something that I am able to experience each year - I don't have any extravagant expectations of perfectly decorated homes or heaps of expensive gifts. Not that there's anything wrong with that! I just look forward most to those elusive moments where you feel both at peace with the world and filled with anticipation.