Suze,

My elderly mum is coming to us for Christmas as well, as she does every year.

I'm thinking there's a fairly good chance that you and I live in the same place - or nearby. It's about two hours to Perth from where I live.

Season's Greetings, folks of OLO

May I wish a holy Christmas to those who share a faith, and a festive Christmas to those who don't.

This piece of prose is for you Lexi my belle:

Here's the Xmas Wattle
The symbol of our land
You can put it in a bottle
Or hold it in your hand.

Paul.

It's lovely to see so many responding to my thread
and sharing in the spirit of this Season.
Thank You.

Dear runner,

May you have a blessed time with your family.
And in the New Year may we all find more of what
unites us than what divides us.

Dear Hasbeen,

Some still dream of a 'White Christmas,' but most of
us prefer the sun, surf, sand, and oceans of this
country of ours. Whatever our preferences your post
simply confirms what's important during this Beautiful
Season. It's time spent with friends, family, loved ones.
I'll be cooking both Christmas Eve (Seafood) and the
traditional Christmas Lunch again this year.

My mother-in-law passed away on in October this year. She
was on the tail-end of Alzheimers and was finally placed
in palliative care. We kept a constant vigil - now she's
at peace. It will be the first Christmas without her.

Dear Suse,

My mother will be joining us on Christmas Eve and for
Christmas Lunch. She also suffers from dementia, and
having lost my mother-in-law this year, Christmas with
mum will mean even more to our family. I'll be thinking
of you all at Christmas - and toasting to your health.

Dear Poirot,

It would be amazing if you and Suse did actually live
close to each other. How great would that be!

Dear SOG (Paul),

Thank you for the wattle-poem.
You really know how to put a smile on my face.
Big hug.

Lexi,

Thank you for your wishes to forum members, and they are reciprocated.

Personally for me the festive season isn't much different than any other time of year. I have magical moments all the time. Being an aetheist, I just enjoy the wonder on children's faces all the time, but Xmas is so special for them so I pay particular attention to them at this time of year.
Why can't the 'spirit of Christmas' continue every day? What a wonderful world it would be if violence and illwill were replaced by kindness and caring for our fellow man, the environment, and all the blessings around us - and animals - my dog asked me to include him.

Dear worldwatcher,

What a suitable moniker you've chosen for posting
on this forum. I don't have the answers to the big
questions in life. Everything is relative, everything
has its story; and everyone has obstacles to overcome.
They are our greatest teachers. I've met some amazing
souls on this forum and hopefully, I'll continue to
learn from them. Talking about children - here's
something that you may enjoy:

GROWING PAINS ...

Here's to the kids who are different;
the kids who don't always get A's,
the kids who have ears twice the size of their peers',
or noses that go on for days.
Here's to the kids who are different,
the kids who are just out of step,
the kids they all tease, who have cuts on their knees
and whose sneakers are constantly wet.
Here's to the kids who are different,
the kids with a mischievous streak,
for when they have grown, as history has shown,
it's their difference that makes them unique.
(Digby Wolfe, for a TV Special).

Thank you Lexi for sharing that,

I enjoyed reading it. How true! It is our differences which make humans so fascinating.

My tenet has been to treat children as small adults, rather than talk down to them as children. Amazing what responses I get!
If there is such a thing as another time around I think some of them must be on at least their second or third.