Christmas Past

Yesterday was Christmas. It was one of the most perfect days in my life. There was no onslaught of gifts and yet, no traditions were broken. I am all about the traditions. That's the thing about Christmas. You don't have to sacrifice the traditions when you lighten up the Holiday.

My daughter and I went for our Christmas ride. It was a beautiful cool day and a couple of our cowboy friends joined us. The company was welcome and shared well.

We napped. I had stayed up late wrapping and preparing for the next day. A parental duty steeped in tradition. The Christmas nap was normally brought on by early-morning work no longer scheduled.

Then food was heated. My daughter and friends arrived and good company was enjoyed. We ate, we opened gifts. The stockings were full of fun and useful things with the orange snuggled in the toe. The same old bag was passed on as a gift. The treasure hunt for the last gift was embarked upon: inside . Outside. Inside. Outside again.

I fell light. I never felt the "burden" that sometimes weighs us down at this time of year. This was a truly lovely Christmas.