Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yule-tide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe
Help to make the season bright
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
Will find it hard to sleep tonight

They know that Santa's on his way
He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh
And every mother's child is gonna spy
To see if reindeer really know how to fly

And so I'm offering this simple phrase
To kids from one to ninety-two
Although it's been said many times, many ways
Merry Christmas to you

The Christmas holiday season is my very favorite time of the year. Although the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping, crowded stores, and trying to get everything done in time can be stressful, the end result is always gratifying. Christmas Day is so much fun.  It is the one very special day of the year when families, whether it is kids, parents, grandparents, or just friends and loved ones, have gathered together from near and far to share this special holiday.  Hopefully, all disagreements and/or differences are set aside, and we can share our time together in peace and love.

While Christmas Day is usually the day we wake up to find out what Santa has left for us under the tree, the day we eat the big turkey dinner with dressing and cranberry sauce, and the day we exchange gifts and pretend we just "love" everything we received (whether we did or not!), it is Christmas Eve I especially enjoy.

It is on Christmas Eve,  after all the last minute present wrapping, assembling toys and making sure we have enough batteries, going over (for the 10th time) the final Christmas dinner preparations, that we can finally sit down, relax, and enjoy the season.

If there's a fireplace, we can turn the lights off, and roast chestnuts over the open fire, or just sit and  watch the warm glow of the burning fire. We can plug in the Christmas tree lights, put on those beautiful Christmas CD's (with the sound turned low), and light all the pretty candles we had planned on saving for next year.  And, if we're real lucky, we will have that very special someone sitting beside us.

What a wonderful way to end the hectic Christmas rush, and begin a beautiful Christmas celebration!