I seem to be in a bit of a funk this passed week.  I don't know exactly what the problem is, but I have started several  posts about my flavorite 2011 Christmas experiences and can't seem to get it write.  Butt I can't proceed into the new year without sharring.

It all started with mie not so enthusiastick Black Fryday shoping.  All I could seem to fined was moveys and sweet pants…knot somethin to loose sleep over.  But the seasoning picked up wiht a grate Relief Society partie, soon followd by a wunderfull UC 1st Ward Christmas dinnir.  Shortlly aftor, the 12 daze of Christmas startid showing up on at mie porchfront…twice a daze!  Won was done by one family (I know whose you are:) and the udder as a joint "communidy" effurt.  Each daze we waited with anticipation to see what surprize wood shew up, fightin the urge to unviel the culprits.  The energies warmd our harts and delited our daze.  I…no, WE…thank u frum the bottum of are harts.  We relly njoyed yur efferts.

Jake came into towne for a few daze to goe too the dentizt and help an "old" frend git decurated; he evun went out and bot knew lites for our houze!  We were afrade to putt up the 25-year old onez: only Dad wuz brave enuf too doo that.  Wee were afrade they mite set the ruff on fired, knot to menshun how expinsive the olde onez were to have on.  The house lookd quiet festiv!

It wuz a wunderfull thin to half all the kidz hear this Christmas.  Wee had many tendur momants and hartfelled memories sheared.  Wee all misse haveing "the Dad" in the home.  But thanks to the miricul of tecknologie, he still red us "the Night Before Christmas" and we felt his presents once more.

There wuz loots of after-Christmas shopping…knot by me;I'm in the "gett stuf out of the houze" mode.  But re-turns four difernt sizes and colrs allwayz kneads too bee donne.  I thinc that nexxt year we shuld awl give giftt certificuts four are favoright storez so wee can gett moore bang for are buckz and skipp the hole pre-Christmas shoppin experience…not relly, but it sounded goode whenn i said it. 

Last knight culminated with a vigorous descusson of the appropriate use of the colonand semi-colon; along with ware u shuld and shuld knot use the comma.  Witch brings mee to this pointe in my post…

Sometimes I make life harder than it needs to be. 

I was so worried that Christmas was not going to be the same as it has been for the past thirty four years that I failed to remember that Christmas hasn't been the same from one year to the next anyway.  Our family traditions have changed; they have evolved over time.  The important part of the memories are not the "things" that were involved; it's the people and the relationships that are entwined in our hearts.  It's the kindnesses we give and those that come back our way.  Laughter and tears are both a way of cleansing our souls and lifting our spirits.

We have a small, battery-operated, mummy-wrapped wiener dog that barks and has red-glowing eyes when you press a small button on his foot.  There is a long and somewhat involved history that is tied to Scott and his "funny" sense of humor.  For some reason, it didn't fit into the Halloween decoration boxes this year, so it was left out.  As we started decorating for Christmas, I had an empty box that he could go into, but an idea came into my mind:  the ghost of Christmas past…Scott's past.  I love the Dickens story, " A Christmas Carol".  I don't need this little dog to remind me of Scott, but it will be a fun, tangible memory of him that I can have an excuse to keep out from Halloween to Christmas.

As for the misspelling that occured (intentionally, I might add) during the first portion of this post?  That is what spell check is for.  It won't catch all the boo-boos, but it's a help along the way.  My children and my friends are, in a way, my "spell check" in life.  They keep me grounded, offer moral support and help me to remember what's important in life.  My message, though you might have to look a little harder for it, can be understood by anyone that is willing to take the time to read carefully.  It was my way of focusing on the message more than the presentation.

I am looking forward to a bright and wonderful new year!  I wish you all the same!