A Slice of Brie

Brie's Journal

Merry Christmas, 2012

Written By: Mrs. Hanni - Sep• 19•13

I am so blessed.  I adore my family!

There is a magic of a Christmas morning that has little to nothing to do with presents.  I love the quiet that accompanies Christmas day.  Very few cars are on the road; most people are already at their destination enjoying the company of family and friends.  It is maybe this once a year slightly stationary pace that I find most calming about the holiday.  There is so much traffic leading up to Christmas-both literal and figurative; on a physical level–all the gift shopping and meal prepping, and mental stress: where, how and with whom will we spend the holidays this year?  When the day itself finally arrives, there is a quiet that we rarely get the opportunity to experience throughout the year.  It is the epitome of what Sunday afternoon should be.  Walking around the neighborhood, I took pleasure in seeing more cars parked along the street than is usual.  I took comfort in knowing my neighbors’ houses were crowded with out-of-town family members and friends.  There is a feeling free of deadlines and the day seems longer or that ticking minutes can do so without anyone taking notice of their passing.

The season itself gives us the opportunity to consider others.  How can we celebrate our loved ones, or bring amusement to their life or make one of their days easier?  Even if you don’t give the perfect gift it is good to know that at least once annually we are not only given the opportunity to focus outside of ourselves, but it actually is expected.  Christmas is a day to call loved ones–as many as you can; I suppose this is the reason behind the hundred or so Christmas photo cards sent–how blessed we are to have a hundred people to receive our good wishes–that truly is the gift.

This Christmas season proved itself to be the most magical of Tony’s adult life.  We took advantage of having young children and enjoyed being young at heart.  We enjoyed riding an antique rail car pulled by Thomas the train with Santa Clause, some elves and a musician aboard with us around Santa Cruz.  With Sam we rode the antique merry-go-round in San Francisco, a magic experience on its own.  Samantha rode “The Polar Express” all by herself for the first year–and I enjoyed waving at her enthusiastically as she passed by me.  We walked up and down Eucalyptus Street in San Carlos, as is tradition.  Sam wasn’t in the most festive mood but we had a lovely time all in all.