Christmas Movie Countdown #9

"Christmas magic is silent,

 you don't hear it... you feel it... you know it... you believe it."

~Kevin Alan Milne
The Paper Bag Christmas

It Happened One Christmas

Here I go again, referencing an ABC Movie of The Week movie, but what can I say, ABC had wonderful movies, and I looked forward to every one of them. This was, as you might expect, one of my favorites, despite that it's pretty much simply a retelling of, It's A Wonderful Life. Or is it? It Happened One Christmas, is a woman's perspective of the tale, which really does make for a different story. Mary Baily yearns to experience life beyond the small time she grew up in, but when tragedy strikes she finds she must sacrifice her own needs, for the needs of her family, and her town. Thank goodness love endures throughout Mary's life, especially during the darkest of times. Finally, by fighting through the things we all take for granted, she receives redemption as a gift from all who love her. As always, it seems that we really learn how much we are loved until we are at our lowest, and offer to lift us up, without agenda or judgement. If you haven't seen it, watch it. Trust me on this, it demonstrates what is really right about Christmas, and teaches the lesson of not giving up, on ourselves and each other! As of the composing of this post, you can find it, for free, on YouTube. I hope it's still there when you click through the link!

All Is Calm, All Is Bright

"It came without ribbons, it came without tags, it came without packages, boxes or bags. Christmas can't be bought from a store... Maybe Christmas means a little bit more."

-Dr. Seuss



We have had a magical day today. It started out with a wonderful good morning kiss from Hendrix. I had been feeling a bit sad last night, because I knew I wouldn't be getting my Christmas Eve morning paw pads and kisses. In the 11 years that Elvis was my boy, he always woke me that way on Christmas Eve. But this morning, as if by magic, Hendrix filled in for Elvis and kept the tradition going, by purring softly in my ears, and giving me a gentle little kiss. It was a perfect way to start my Christmas Eve. Happiness. :)


Around noon, I picked up a box at the Post Office, it was from my friend Martha. Inside was a wonderful garden stone, in the shape of a paw pad, and when I turned it over, it had Elvis's name on the bottom. He loved my garden, so of course, it was such a sweet surprise that it moved me to tears. Thank you Martha! I immediately placed it next to a new rose that bloomed this week, and opened fully this morning. A Green Ice rose, one of his favorite in the garden. It has a sweet/spicy scent, and he loved to sit next to them. He just loved flowers. Elvis is definitely here in spirit. I feel him with me even as I type this. :) Martha, you were a part of the magic today, I will always remember you for that! :)

Later in the day, after delivering some Christmas good wishes, we came home and Alan and I gave each other a special ornament. We have been doing that each year on Christmas Eve, since we discovered the Christmas Fantasy in Tilden. They have some really gorgeous ornaments, and it becomes our official first gift to each other every year. One new ornament. Later in the day, we played some serious reindeer games with the kittens, which is always fun. The boys are all tucked in now, and Alan have the rest of the evening to just enjoy ourselves. They are going to be so much fun tomorrow, when they open their presents and socks! I am sure I will have more pictures, so keep checking back!

A Christmas Story is playing on TBS for the next 24 hours, and we will probably watch at least one showing of it. It's our favorite holiday movie, but I have Miracle on 34th Street, the Sebastian Cabot version, saved in the DVR, and I enjoy that one too, and yet, It's A Wonderful Life is also on tonight, so I am not really sure which one will get our attention. LOL. Too many good choices. No matter what we end up watching, I am already so happy this Christmas that I suppose it really doesn't matter much. :)

Well, Alan is almost done making the Latkes, so I am off to dinner. Yep, he is making dinner! Life is good.

From Our House To Yours...

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HANUKKAH