Christmas is a time of not only cold weather and fun, but also of joy and thanksgiving. Looking back at previous years of family celebrations, I think of the warm smells of ham, mac and cheese, and lots of sugar cookies! It’s not every day when you can wake up and have a valid excuse to eat lots of sugar and watch movies.

 

On the morning of Christmas in 2015, I woke up very early to walk into a scene that was nothing short of shocking. There was no happy music, no lights on, no breakfast – just wrapping paper EVERYWHERE! As I continued down the hall, I became aware of what I was dealing with. The situation: Colt and cookies.

 

My brother’s sweet voiced spoke, “Good morning Jo Jo.” My first thought was to erupt in laughter, seeing the boy breaking into all the packages and chomping on the Christmas cookies as everyone else in the house slept. I remembered that when I was younger how I always wanted to open all my presents as fast as possible. I decided not to spoil the fun he was having and walked over to the tree, shuffling through mounds of wrapping and brightly dyed cookie crumbs.

 

Eventually everyone in the house got up, and we simply continued opening what was left of the presents under the tree. That year taught me not only to enjoy the simple moments in life, but also to be thankful for those in your life who you get to experience the fun with, because moments pass, but memories last. 12/12/16