What Christmas means to me!

Christmas evokes many memories in me. I remember some of my childhood Christmases. Some were pleasant and others downright terrible. I remember shopping for a tree on a cold, snowy afternoon at the farmer's market. What a great atmosphere that was. I remember sneaking downstairs early on Christmas morn to beat my siblings from going through my stocking. I remember my father throwing all our toys in the street because he got pissed off over something benign. I remember midnight Mass. I think some of the best memories were when my kids were young. I would stay up the night before putting everything together. Downstairs in the basement, I would sit with my headphones on listening to Supertramp, trying to make the parts fit together. Today Christmas is much like Scrooge's. I know the past. I can't control the future but I can shape it. So the Present is what I concentrate on. I want each remaining Christmas to be happy. I think it's this day and not Thanksgiving that I reflect the most on the past year and what I do have to be thankful.I think it brings more people together.