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Dr. Norman Vincent Peale stated that Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer, and more beautiful. I must agree. There is a feeling that comes with Christmas that far too few take the time to notice. The world has turned Christmas into presents and spending money and rush and frustration. As a child I use to love to open presents on Christmas Eve and couldn't wait to see what Santa would bring me the next morning. My teenage years were full of the Christmas season working at the local grocery store, and Christmas Eve was spent waiting for the store to close a couple of hours early so we could eat dinner with our families.

My senior year in high school is really when Christmas changed for me. My dad had recently got divorced, and money was beyond tight. We didn't have any extra money to spend on gifts, and my dad's ex-wife had taken most of the Christmas decorations. We received a tree from a school teacher of mine that knew our circumstances because her family was getting a new one. I had some red ribbon at home and we went to a local store and bought some wooden utincils as our decorations with the single strand of lights we had left.

It was the most pleasant Christmas I ever remember having. Just my dad and me. We played cards and watched some movies and just enjoyed the day. Thankful to be alive, and to have each other. That's when it hit me that the best Christmas gift I ever had was the love of a father. Not a ton of gifts or hundreds of dollars worth of toys, gadgets, and clothes. Just love. As simple as that.

Hopefully this holiday season, amidst all the shopping, the planning, the cooking, everyone will try to stop a moment and breathe. Look out at our world that is softer and more beautiful for just a moment and remember to give love to all that they can.

Learn more about this author, Regina.
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