If you know me personally, you know that I’m a big fan of Christmas.  LOVE IT!  I put up all the decorations (traditionally), on Black Friday so I can soak up all the holiday cheer each and every day.  Unfortunately, this year I’m slow going.  New job, and lots of travel mean that at this moment I’m finishing writing my Christmas cards and later today, the decorations will go up.  Somehow I also need to fit in making my traditional Caramel & Chocolate Chip Cookies, probably today or this week but I’m back in South Carolina for 3 days. Yeesh!  Busy, busy, busy!  I’ve also come to realize that even after trimming the Christmas card list, we still send a friggin lot of cards.  While I could forgo cards, they’ve always been my personal signature for the holidays – usually from MOMA, and I always pick a phrase that I handwrite on each.  Perhaps if the new year blesses us with a child (hope and pray folks), that I won’t have time for the full phrase.  Either way…I’m hoping to get everything looking festive by the end of the day because even in a year of bad news, Christmas reminds us to take pleasure and joy in some of the simplest of things.