it's christmastime in the city...

if anyone ever asked me what i love so much about the holidays, i would have to think about it for a little bit. you see, there are so many things that i love about thanksgiving, christmas, and new year's. one, the fact that they come all together and that it's a holiday season. it gives you plenty of time to get all excited and really into it.

other things i love:

* the smells: absolutely nothing beats the smells of the holidays/beginning of winter. the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice mixed with the fallen leaves, woodsmoke, and the iciness of the air that is almost a smell in and of itself.

* the feeling of having your middle all warm from the inside and out as you sit in a fuzzy hoody and drink a cup of tea while your toes, fingertips, nose, and ears stay a bit chilled.

* how everything has this strange mix of slowing down and speeding up. nature slows down as the trees fall asleep and the ground hardens up while people linger in coffee shops and in their friends' homes. but then again everything speeds up as squirrels and birds make their last dash for winter stores and those same people rush from one warm spot to another or engage in the holiday hustle and bustle of getting everything done and everyone seen.

* how happy everyone is. in new england, you pass people all the time, walking from one place to the next, and yet it's rare to ever make eye contact with one of these people much less exchange words. but in the holiday season, starting now - sometime the week or two before thanksgiving, something changes. today three people said hello to me as i walked to and from my dorm. a christmas miracle :)

* how you can take a moment to just sit back and appreciate life. and i mean life in its fullest. the good, the not-so-good. the people that make your life worth living. the ones that challenge you and encourage you and who throw their point of view into the mix every day, giving you new eyes through which to see the world. it's absolutely amazing.

there are so many other things - the smiles on peoples' faces, the wonder in the eyes of every little child i come across, the traditions, the music, the food, the laughter, the fun, the first snow (hopefully!), the family, the community, the one time where everyone will wish for peace on earth and really, really mean it...

while i don't ascribe to the fact that we haven't even had thanksgiving and most stores already have their christmas trees up are are playing the usualy medley of non-descript carols and christmas-y songs, i do love the holidays. because, you see, christmas and thanksgiving and all that come with it are so much more than santa claus and rudolph and presents and jack frost. it's about people and taking time out of the year to celebrate the fact that we are all people who need people, to thank them for who they are, and to welcome again the savior whose wonderful and amazing life made us all realize how beautiful life can really be within the mysterious majesty of god's infinite and indescribable love.

so to everyone out there, happy, happy thanksgiving and christmas. peace on earth...