Christmas progression

As Christmas draws near, I have to admit that I really don't know how my mother did everything that had to be done. In addition to her working full time, there were so many things that had to be done before the annual Christmas trip to Taiwan. There were presents to be bought for her office employees, her friends in addition to all the presents that had to be bought for anyone she could think of that we would and might see when in Taiwan. Then there were the presents for my father, brother and, of course, me AND all of her brothers and sisters and their kids. I think all of this generally started right after Thanksgiving. 

Today, I was doing some Christmas shopping and while I was driving from place to place it was snowing. At certain points, there were the big fluffy snowflakes. The ones that just make you want to stick out your tongue and catch the snowflakes. I was stopped at a traffic light when all the years of Christmas shopping with my mother came flooding back. However, to my surprise, I did not get depressed or as sad as I am known to get when my mother came to my mind. Rather, I smiled to myself thinking that slowly but surely I am, again, stepping into her shoes. I knew this to be true when I found myself in a store contemplating wrapping paper . . . when I was deciding on which Christmas cards to purchase . . . knowing exactly what I wanted from a particular store . . . hemming and hawing over whether a particular item would be suitable as a gift. I did not do that much wandering through stores, but when I did . . . I could feel my mother right there along my side. I could see the process she went through selecting items as potential gifts and realized that I was doing the same thing. It felt so familiar. So comfortable.

Now, that is not to say that everything went off without a hitch because there was a glitch or two. But that's okay. I really don't mind that there was a glitch here or there because I learned how to approach the situation next Christmas. The point is that I could not be happier to be at a point in my life where I am embracing Christmas again and all that it entails. I am moving forward, putting one foot in front of the other. I am embracing at yet another opportunity where I am able to put all that my mother taught and emulated for me into practice.