On this sweet 
Christmas Eve my hubby and I took a nap and when I woke up, I sprang into the office filled with excitement because I wanted to write to all of you and share part of this day with friends, new and old…
Tonight we will celebrate “Noche Buena,” (The Good Night) with friends, family, food and lots of laughter. In the meantime, here is my First Annual Electronic Christmas Card sharing some of my favorite Christmas suggestions.
Favorite Christmas Song, Christmas Movie, Christmas Thought and Christmas Moment…here we gooooooo!
Christmas Song
I love all things Amy Grant and have all her Christmas albums. Later this year I will be visiting Tennessee for her Annual Tennessee Weekend. So excited!
In the meantime, one of my favorite Christmas songs is Amy Grant’s “Grown Up Christmas List.” A ton of fabulous singers have re-recorded it over the years, but hers was the first version I fell in love with so it remains my ultimate favorite.
I love these lyrics because they are everything that doesn’t come in a box that could heal the world. I love this beautiful reminder of the Christmas Spirit.
Here is a video of Amy Grant singing “Grown Up Christmas List” live.
It’s a totally imperfect version. No slick production. Just the emotion of living life one day at a time and healing what we can and letting go of what we can’t. It speaks to my soul. I hope it does to yours as well.
I have over 270 Christmas songs on my iPod at last count. If I figure out how to put together a play list, that will be on my Christmas List next year.
Christmas Movie
Besides all versions of Miracle on 34th Street and every silly, sappy Hallmark Channel Christmas movie ever made, my favorite, favorite, favorite Christmas movie is “Christmas in Connecticut” with Barbara Stanwyck and an actor you have probably never heard of before named Dennis Morgan. It is a romantic comedy in the best tradition of witty-banter, secret identities, pretend marriages and irrepressible romance.
Here is the summary from imdb.com:
“In her Smart Housekeeping column, Elizabeth Lane provides amazing recipes and homemaking hints. However, Elizabeth’s got a little secret: SHE needs a recipe to boil water! Elizabeth has no cooking skills, no Connecticut farm, no adoring hubby and no baby-makes-three as suggested in her column. Something her boss, the magazine publisher, doesn’t know when he decides to invite himself and a recently returned war hero to her home for a traditional family Christmas. Watch as Elizabeth tries to be a good wife and doting mother, with absolutely NO experience. – Carolyn Weiss”
If you are looking for a holiday movie to watch soon, it’s available for instant streaming on Amazon Prime.
Christmas Thought
This comes courtesy of my fabulous Life Coach, Audrey Wilson from www.audreywilsoncoaching.com. Yes, Life Coaches get coached too. It’s how we stay sharp – we have someone outside our personal situation looking at it from another perspective and helping us grow.
I work with a Life Coach, a Business Coach and for special projects or specific areas of growth I work with specialists in different areas. We all know that having a great team is critical in business, sports, community service, or the school bake sale, yet most of us haven’t really realized it’s so crucial for our personal lives as well. I know my life has grown by leaps and bounds ever since I started assembling a team to support me. And you know how I started? Reading the blog of someone I loved who became my Mentor and helped me grow. Love that!
So, Audrey says, “Wherever you go it’s up to you to decide to bring the good time. It’s not the job of the people you’re with, the party you’re attending or the date you’re on to create your good time. Choose to find the fun and pleasure wherever you are, or create some for yourself! Be the merriest of merrys!”
I was thrilled when she mentioned that I inspired that pin because she says I always bring the Merry. It wasn’t always that way, and everyone who has taught me and helped me grow along the way is part of the joy I get to share now.
Today I invite you to bring the merry wherever you go because YOU are the merry!
Christmas Moment
As you may know Pinterest is the reason I don’t tweet. If I have an extra moment in my busy life, I pin. No regrets. I love the beauty and inspiration I find there. All of the images for this blog post came from Pinterest and I had to save this one for last because it’s what matters most – at least to me.
As we go through all the hustle and bustle of the next few days, I invite you to join me to breathe deeply and listen for the love in the room wherever you may be.
It might be a memory or a picture, or a phone call from a friend. It might be your hubby smiling sweetly across a room. Your kids running through hall for the 54th time – other days it might be the tiniest bit annoying – today let it be a symbol of love and glee, just breathe it in and let it go.
It might be the kid inside you, so excited to get a happy surprise. In my case it was the kid inside me who couldn’t wait to share Christmas Favorites with newfound friends.
I am breathing deeply and feeling love for every single person reading this right now. Thank you for being part of my journey this year. Christmas Hugs to All and to All a Good Night.
Do you have a Christmas Favorite you would like to share in the comments? Tell me! I can’t wait!
