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Preparing for and Enjoying the Holidays

Getting ready for the holidays is both fun and a favorite time, albeit at times stressful.
I love that the holidays begin with Thanksgiving. When thankfulness is a way of life it lifts you up and gives you eyes to see everything around with gratitude and joy! I learned years ago to start my day thanking and praising God first. It has been transformative for my life.
This year I began pulling out the bakeware. I really enjoy baking. (The problem is I also enjoy eating it too). I have to watch that. That is why I generally wait until late fall to begin baking cookies, cakes, pies, muffins, pastries, and making candies in preparation for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. There’s nothing like the aroma of baked goods in the air wafting throughout the house. Getting out the Kitchen Aid, handheld mixer, blender, pots, pans, pie plates, cookie sheets, muffin tins and cups, baking mats, measuring cups, measuring spoons, mixing bowls, spatulas and assorted utensils, plus all the ingredients, laying everything out and measuring everything, mixing and fixing is a joy to me. Then the satisfaction when the wonderful fragrance begins to emerge from the oven, the timer goes off and I remove the finished product from the oven to cool. It is delightful!
In addition, during the winter, I like to bake bread, muffins, and the like. Spring and summer I steer away from baking and eating baked goods as it is my busiest time and time to lose weight from eating the goodies from the holidays and winter!
Thanksgiving has already come and gone now. (I did not finish this blog before hand. Oops!). So, NOW I am preparing for Christmas time. I love the joy, singing, sharing and caring as we celebrate Jesus! Decorating, sending greetings, selecting, wrapping and giving gifts to family, friends, and those who serve around us is something that I look forward to every year. There is a special feeling in the air at the wonder of it all. I choose to try to see it with the eyes of a child,
as I reminisce happy childhood Christmas Eve’s and Christmas Day’s gone by.
This year I pray that you can enjoy and find pleasure in the wonders, even the smallest of wonders, this season and even in the direst of situations you may find yourself going through. For those of us who have more, remember those who are in need and less fortunate. Show love and care and try to meet a need of those near and far. Spread good will to all – a smile can brighten another’s day when their cares may be weighing them down. Encourage others always,
But especially now. Be blessed, safe and warm. Jesus loves you! If you don’t know Him and you would like to, simply ask Him into your heart and ask Him for forgiveness for your sins. He is waiting for you to accept Him and He freely forgives!