Through the eyes of a child.....

I started wondering if I should even decorate the Little Bayou House for Christmas this year. I usually sort of "overdo" and wind up with decorations literally spilling from the house! But this year is going to be a bit different. I am not sure if anyone is going to be making the long trips home to the Bayou thus making me wonder if I should even go through all of the effort of hauling decorations down the stairs, unpacking them and going through the motions of putting them all in place. I had just started pondering this fact when I came across something that made all the difference in the world. I am one of these moms that seem to have a hard time letting go of things that my children made in the years past.

Back when Son, my youngest, was in third grade of Elementary School, he was given an assignment to create a "Christmas Book". This booklet was to contain all sorts of Christmas things such as poems, pictures, songs and such. Most were to be things that he found in magazines as this was pre-internet saavy days! Other things were to be his own creations. I sat down and reread this booklet and my attitude changed. I want to decorate even if no one else would be here to see these festive additions to the Little Bayou House. I want to wrap gifts in pretty paper and tie them up with ribbons! I want to bake until the house looks like a gingerbread house and smells like a bakery! I want to string lights all over the house, the yard and even down on the pier! I want Christmas to come to the Little Bayou House!

As I read through the pages of the booklet, I came across the page entitled "Christmas Memory". In Michael's handwriting the words of his story touched my heart. I had read it before but for some reason this time I could see what he felt that day. His memory involved a trip to the airport to pick up his dad. Hubby had been away working and was heading home for the holidays. In his story he related how the folks at the airport were getting annoyed because of flight delays. He told how babies were crying and adults were fussing but that I told him and his brother and sister to sing. I remember this..I remember (like he told in his story) how everyone got real quiet and then started to sing along with these three little tykes. Soon all of the people were happy..they were singing Christmas carols and shaking hands or giving hugs. Even the babies stopped crying. I guess music actually is calming..at least the singing of three small children seemed to be.

The memory of this incident brought back a ton of other memories. It also made me realize that memories are made simply by doing something from the heart. So....put on the Christmas music...pull out those boxes of decorations...hand me my mixing bowl and rolling pin...Mrs. Claus...errr..I have work to do and time's a'wasting!