magic indeed

there is much i love about the christmas season…fresh greens hanging about, lights sparkling up and down stairs and adorning porches and entryways, gifts lovingly wrapped and hiding secrets within…it is a bit of magic, i think.  and while this holiday business can be overdone, it can also be lovely and so very wonderful.

on christmas eve morning, after a cozy breakfast by the twinkling christmas tree, we bundled up and headed to the woods.  and a more glorious morning i have not had in quite a while.  excepting the lone couple we passed on our way back to our car, we had the woods, the boulders, the sky to our very selves.  magic you say?  indeed.

i wish i could express fully the joy i felt the other morning…christmas eve morning…walking through woods with my husband and children, scrambling over rocks, feeling the crispness of the winter air on our cheeks, listening to the silence around us.

there are few places other than the woods {and wilderness in general} where i feel such bliss.  it all just feels right.  breathing and moving within the embrace of nature, in the companionship of those i love…well, for me, it doesn’t get much better than that.

and, lucky me, that is how we began our holiday weekend.  it set the tone so beautifully, spending this special time outdoors with my family.  keeping things simple, immediate, and real.  no distractions.  just us, the woods, the sky…the world.

the rest of the weekend included a flurry of wrapping paper, books and toys, pierogis and cookies, music, smiles and laughter.  but it all began with a walk in the woods.  and that stayed with me through our fun-filled christmas days.  i loved giving the gifts i had to give, seeing the excitement of the children, tasting the delicious foods.  but the best part of my christmas was this morning hike.  magic indeed.

hoping your weekend held moments of enchantment too…

sending  a little love your way, m