Tryin' to get the feelin'

Hello again,

Here it is...only DAYS from Christmas. And still, no sign of that Christmas spirit. It's not for lack of trying. Believe me.

I've done some wonderfully festive things this year. Grove Park Inn to see the entries in the National Gingerbread House competition. Here are two of my favorites

Not your typical gingerbread house by any stretch. I loved seeing the entries. Next year I would like to go back earlier in the season. The competition is held in mid-November and from what we were told, many of the entries are removed before Thanksgiving.

I'd also like to TRY my hand at a Gingerbread House next year. My friend Mavis decorates one every year with her family. Sounds like a fun tradition. Does your family have any holiday traditions?

But still...no Christmas spirit.

Then to Biltmore House for the Candlelight tour. It was stunning. They didn't allow photographs inside and b/c I didn't have a tripod my outdoor pictures weren't that good. The Biltmore House hosted 52 Christmas Trees this year. One of the attendants said that only one was a live tree. It was HUGE. It was decorated with full-size packages. I thought the swags were actually prettier than the trees. Another feature that I enjoyed was they had couples dressed in formal-wear doing the waltz and other period dances. That was lovely.

But still...no Christmas spirit.

Yesterday my sister and I went to see White Christmas at the Tennessee Theater. What a fantastic venue. Again no photography was allowed inside. Bah! It was my first time seeing White Christmas (yes, first time EVER). I loved the costumes. And the dance routines. And Bing Crosby's voice. I thought if anything would get me in the holiday spirit it would be hearing him sing because his Christmas album was always a holiday favorite in my parent's house.

But nope...still no Christmas spirit.

I've been reading lots of holiday-themed books: two by Richard Paul Evans (The Christmas List and Finding Noel), Comfort and Joy by Kristin Hannah, and Silver Bells by Luanne Rice.

The cd player in my car has been loaded with Amy Grant and Vanessa William's Christmas cds.

All of this and STILL no Christmas Spirit. So you know what? I think I've been looking for that excitement that I had about Christmas when I was a kid. That breathless magical feeling. Maybe it's a feeling you only get when you are a kid or when you have kids? I don't know. But as Barry Manilow says - "I've been up, down. Tryin' to get the feelin' again."

I may not have gotten the Christmas spirit but I've done some fun and festive things. So I guess it's all good.

I hope YOU are feeling the magic of the season.

Happy Holidays, friends.