As a small child, Christmas always seems so exciting. You can't wait to get up, you rush down to see all the beautiful presents left around the tree. The stockings are so exciting with all the little goodies hiding inside. You rush outside to tell all your little friends of your treasures. BUT the most exciting thing I remember as a child was
having grandma and grandpa show up, then the aunts and uncles and cousins all start arriving and the fun begins.

Then we all grow up and start making Christmas for our own children, and somehow things change. Christmas no longer seems just the same, we rush around trying to get that "just right" gift, bake and clean and decorate until exhaustion sets in...but oh we think it's so much fun. We run those charge cards up, spend every last dollar and think ohhhhhhhhh this Christmas is going to be so wonderful. Only to be rushing around boxing day returning something this one didn't like or something that didn't fit that one...what a pain.

So many times over the past few weeks I have heard different people say
"this is going to be the worst Christmas ever, we have no money, we can't afford
to buy any gifts". Reflecting back over Christmas last year and how devastated
I was, we were in the middle of moving....didn't even have our own place, I couldn't decorate, no christmas tree, no money, didn't even have a traditional christmas dinner...I cried for weeks leading up to Christmas Day, I told Jake
I refused to even come out of our room, just leave me alone until boxing day.
Well, friends of ours were going away for the holidays, they asked us to watch their cats for them. As it turned out it was the BEST Christmas I have ever had. My kids, Jake and myself had the most relaxing time with no hassles and for the first time I was
not totally exhausted to the point I could not even enjoy it. I was apologizing to
my kids for not being able to give the gifts they were always accustomed to getting,
my son, god bless his heart, says "mom it's ok...just our stocking is enough", 19 years old and a stocking is so important to this young man. It was that statement that made me realize what was most important, not the big expensive gifts, BUT, the traditions. So, here it is, borrowed home, borrowed tree, no money, very very few presents, eating lasagna....BUT we had what I came to realized what mattered most to me....
LOVE & TOGETHERNESS!!!!

And, god willing, this will be the most awesome Christmas that Jake and I will have together, once again we have no money, won't be able to buy all those gifts, but,
we will have our own tree, in our own home, with our traditional dinner, with each
other and my kids, BUT, with a whole lot of luck we will have for the first time in 4 years his sons with us as well...We are so excited.

So folks,
enjoy, make this the best Christmas ever,
give your LOVE...
it's the BEST gift you will ever give to anyone...
MERRY CHRISTMAS
FROM OUR HOUSE
TO YOURS
Love and Hugs
Jake & Gloria

A Very, Very, special Thank You to Glen & Evelyn
for giving us what we came to realize was the most treasured gift of all
THEIR LOVE.