Thankful Thursday

Welcome to a holiday-themed Thankful Thursday. As Christmas nears, I'm thankful for so very many things.


Tonight, I share a few of the sights and sounds that bring great joy this holiday season, including:

An Ornament Made by Mom (1987)

• our neighborhood's holiday lights... which range from the professionally-installed, perfectly-aligned display at one neighbors' house to the kid-inspired, totally-mismatched decorations next door. I love them both equally. 
• friends' voices. By the end of the week, I will have breakfasted or lunched with four friends -- four good friends who always make me laugh.
• the smile-inducing, makes-you-happy-to-be-alive movie Sing. How creative, how fun, how heartwarming!
• Nat King Cole's The Christmas Song, Josh Groban's Noel, Judy Garland's Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Barbra Streisand's Ave Maria.
• sweetly-decorated, too-yummy-to-eat-just-one iced cut-out cookies.
• Mom's handmade ceramic decorations, which include a gorgeous Nativity and a whimsical mouse Christmas tree.
• all-time-favorite holiday specials, including The Grinch, Charlie Brown, Frosty, Remember the Night, The Shop Around the Corner, It's a Wonderful Life... and relative newcomer Shrek the Halls.
• holiday cards with joyful sentiments from crafty friends and smiling faces from family members. 
• our tree-ful of special ornaments, which bring to mind a lifetime of memories.
• the serenity of curling up under an afghan while reading a good book amidst twinkling tree lights and softly-playing carols.

Here's wishing you a week filled with your favorite holiday sights and sounds.