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Light a holly-berry scented candle and stir up some holiday memories! While you write this letter, sweet holiday memories will settle around you like a warm shawl. Why not surprise friends and relatives with your own variation of the following Christmas letter?

Dear ______,

I thought I'd try a different kind of Christmas letter this year. It isn't about our summer vacation or every celebration and recital we've attended over the past year. Nope, it's not about us at all - it's about Christmas memories. Here's hoping it brings a smile to your face and a special glow to your heart!

When I was growing up, we didn't have a lot of money, but we did have a lot of fun! Every winter, Dad and Mom went to choose our Christmas tree at a lot next to the grocery store. It had to be well-proportioned, full-branched and, most importantly, the right size to fit our tiny living room. Meanwhile, six children - with the oldest teen in charge - were waiting at home for the family station wagon to return.

Once the tree trunk was shaped to fit the tree stand, the fun began! While Christmas records spun on the hi-fi in the background, Dad hummed along and strung the lights. They were multi-colored glass tubes with floral tops, and they had some type of liquid inside. I'm sure they'd be considered a fire hazard now, but we had fun watching them bubble and percolate back then!

Next, we carefully unpacked dozens of fragile ornaments that had been in the family for years. My favorite was the shiny blue bulb I'd decorated in grade school. There were others that were shaped like knobby little clusters of berries or grapes. There were silver ones with colorful horizontal stripes and diamond shaped ornaments, too.

Once they were all on the tree, we started hanging tinsel. That seemed to take forever, because my older sisters insisted we hang it one strand at a time. Finally, at the very tip top, Daddy would place a shiny silver star. It was the crowning touch, in more ways than one, for our annual tree-trimming experience.

Around the living room were other special touches: Holiday cards and Christmas letters had been hung from door frames. Candy dishes were perched on end tables and atop the old-fashioned radio that occupied one corner of the room. Christmas was the one time our favorite candies were there for the taking: chocolate-covered peanuts, jellied orange slices, mixed nuts and Brach's hard candies.

Mom and Dad always had to scrimp and save so they could buy at least

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