Another Christmas has come and gone . . . .

It seems over the past few years, I have let go a huge sigh of relief on the 26th day of December. I'm relieved when the decorations are back in their boxes safely stored away for another year. This year was no different.

My mind drifts back to the Christmas memories when I was a child and I yearn for the simplicity of those days. The excitement of baking cookies, peeking into dark closets hoping to come upon hidden packages, the smell of a fresh balsam tree standing tall in the living room, watching out my bedroom window on Christmas Eve hoping to hear or see the magical sight of Santa and his sleigh.

I have wonderful memories of those days and it reminds me that the most wonderful gift my parents ever gave me was the belief in magic. I don't think children experience that anymore . . . life was simpler then and it was easier to believe.

But now I'm more at peace when everything is carefully packed away. Maybe next year my gift to myself will be find the way to rediscover the magic. I know it is still out there . . . maybe next year.