Christmas Countdown...9 days

​Don't let the past
steal your present.
This is the message
of Christmas:
We are never alone.

Taylor Caldwell

It started with a order. Our daughter sold Christmas Wreaths as a fundraiser for CiTi this year. While I had no desire to hang such a joyful array on the front door, the love for my daughter and the joy to help support her and her goals...a couple wreaths were ordered. One for us and one for my Dad. 

One day as I strolled through the store with no particular purpose and not a clear thought I saw the white Christmas lights. Before the wreath arrived, lights and garland were wrapped around the porch rails. It brightens the front lawn. The wreath and the gold butterflies finish the pretty picture of hope.

I'm glad I decorated a little, it looks nice and my mother would love to see the porch lit up. It was one of the first things she said earlier this Spring when Dad, Ed, and Scott built it, "It will look nice with lights on it at Christmas." Of course I rolled my eyes at the moment but now, each time I cross the threshold, memories of visiting with Mom while the men worked earlier this year fill my heart and mind. What is the first Christmas decoration you put up and why?