I become ridiculously happy every time I see the first bottle of Christmas soda for the season in the store. When the first Santas and Christmas trees appear in the shop windows and when the delicious little citrus fruits arrive, smelling so good when you peel them. It comes from a longing for Christmas that I have had since I was little. Add sparkling white snow or just a bit of frost and cozy Christmas music, and I’m sold.

On Christmas Eve itself, when my loved ones are gathered, when we have just eaten far too much delicious food and maybe are a little pleasantly tired, we watch Donald Duck on TV. All the Christmas presents are wrapped and waiting under the tree until after the Donald Duck show. I stand in the kitchen keeping an eye on the toffee slowly simmering on the stove, and it smells wonderful, a mix of pine, lit candles, mulled wine, and toffee. I hear murmurs and laughter from the living room where the others are watching TV and sipping mulled wine. Everyone is full, content, and happy, and everyone occasionally sneaks a glance at the tree and the presents. When Jiminy Cricket sings “When You Wish Upon a Star,” then the Christmas peace settles within me, all the way into my heart. Like the Grinch’s heart, it feels as if my heart also triples in size. Then I feel a calmness and a love that rarely occurs on any other day of the year; it’s a truly wonderful feeling. And it’s precisely that feeling that I look forward to every year when I see Christmas arriving in the darkest month of the year. I wish that everyone experiences a bit of Christmas peace in their souls this Christmas. From all of us, to all of you – A Very Merry Christmas!