Photo of the Day December 24th

Christmas Eve... has there ever been a day full of more anticipation when you're young? I love Christmas, and having Sophie in my life has just intensified that love of the holidays ten-fold. One of the traditions I passed along to her this year was one that my Grandparents started for me when I was just a child... I was worried that Santa Claus wouldn't find me at Christmas since I wasn't at my own home, so my Grandmother fashioned a pulley from a set of antique sleigh bells and told me that if I rang the bells loudly enough Santa would always know where to find me on Christmas eve. It became a cherished memory, and those bells were hung on my Grandparents front porch every year that I was down for Christmas - I rang them well into adulthood. The sound of sleigh bells ringing has brought to mind not only Christmas for me, but the love of my Grandparents - and knowing that Sophie was spending Christmas away from home this year I thought it would be lovely to reinitiate the tradition. I hung the bells on my Grandparents front porch as always, and after putting out chocolate milk and cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer, Sophie rang them for all she was worth... as expected, Santa took notice. I expect that my Grandmother heard those bells ringing from the great beyond and smiled down on her great-granddaughter, reliving the tradition that she began.

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