“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.

I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future.

The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me.

I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.”

- Ebenezer Scrooge

– Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, 1843

If there’s anyone I know personally who honors Christmas all through the year, it’s Gracie. She radiates a sense of peace, joy, and hope that so many of us reserve for special occasions. It’s as if she lives her life in a constant state of celebration. Gracie doesn’t need Christmas to remind her to keep first things first, that’s for sure.

I’ve been decorating my house for weeks and stocking up on all of my family’s favorite Christmas goodies. Although it’s a lot of work, my goal is to create a little haven where my loved ones can feel the warmth of the Christmas spirit. 

If there’s ever a time of year when we spend time in one another’s homes, it’s during the holidays. Those age-old yuletide visions of sitting around the fire, sipping egg nog, and singing carols don’t take place in a restaurant. Christmas celebrates “home” in its most idealistic state.

Unfortunately, though, the rest of the year often finds us too busy and preoccupied to keep up the charade. We close up shop. 

Gracie’s door, on the other hand, is open year-round – and the table is never without its tea set.

But perhaps it’s the openness of her heart that gives her face that holiday radiance long after the garland and glass ornaments have been stored away. 

Around Christmas, I try to let myself become more emotionally vulnerable – preparing for the wonder and awe of the birth of Jesus and the arrival of a jolly old man in a red suit. If there’s ever a time to believe in magic, it’s at Christmastime.

A week or so after the holidays pass, I find myself far adrift from that sweet, loving space that cradled me in the thick of the Christmas season. My heart begins to harden a bit, and I often lose sight of the lessons that Christmas brings – giving of ourselves (our time, talents, and treasures) to others and believing in a Love that surpasses human understanding. 

Gracie’s spirit never hardens. Her eyes never lose that Christmas sparkle. She truly keeps Christmas in her heart all through the year – by believing in what cannot be seen or explained, by reaching out to others every day, and by choosing to focus on what is good and hopeful.