This thought began as a Facebook status update, but soon proved too lengthy and I thought it would be better served as a quick blog post.

There is nothing more peaceful than sitting in silence by the lights of the Christmas tree. I have treasured these moments annually since I was a little girl. I would sit on the floor beside our family’s larger-than-life, live Christmas tree, soak in the fragrant needles and watch the twinkling colored lights.

As I sit here now and reflect, I can hear my Daddy’s smooth baritone voice give Nat King Cole a run for his money, singing, “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Jack frost nipping at your nose…” And deeper still, thinking about the meaning of Advent…the expectation of the birth of Jesus, THE reason for the season.

In this time of holiday busy-ness and stress, take a few moments in reflective solitude and remember that it’s Christmas…