I remember when ...

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store? What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more? ~ Dr. Seuss

Christmas – it wraps itself around your heart and sooths even the grinchiest of Grinch’s!  Christmas is about something so intangible that it is like a fragrance that always seems to bring you back to ... “I remember when!”

I was taken there today when I came across a drawing of an older gentleman sitting by the fire with his grandchildren in his lap and trusted dog at his feet.  The hearth is draped in holly, the fire offers a warm glow to the image and the children are listening with great intent.  The gentleman is reading the Christmas Story. 

I once had this same image of Bill in a dream.  I used to tease him with this image of the day he would continue his tradition of reading the Christmas Story with our grandchildren.  The teasing part of this is the fact that Bill never liked being associated with growing old. 

I remember making our way up to bed one night, the house quiet because the boys did not want to end up on Santa’s naughty list and taking a last peek over the banister at our beautiful tree.  Bill whispered that it was time to get the fireplace built in the living room so that he would not have to wait until we had grandchildren to realize my dream.  I remember the feeling of conspiracy between us ... and the house was filled with that Christmas fragrance.