Steam

I wrote a blog post years ago with the same title.

It was about how the steam from a cooking Virginia ham on Christmas eve creates an entire atmosphere in my memory that IS Christmas.

It's the tangible presence of my father, and the memory of his tales of his childhood Christmas eves. It's the beauty of his reverence for his mother, and her deep Virginia roots.

It's the anticipation of Santa. It's the magic and fantasy in the mind of a little girl, who now sits here, grown and aging, typing a blog post titled "Steam."

It's the fogged up windows, and the scent, while Handel's "Messiah" plays, and while we pause during a certain sequence in the music, and silence our festivities to listen...and to pay homage to the ones who have gone before us.

May those of you who celebrate this holiday, religious, secular, or merely sentimental, find the magic-filled steam on your windows, too.

And may you bask in memories, love, and warmth, as you savor special scents and tastes, with your beloved ones around you.

To my family, THAT's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.