Holiday Hookah... and Angels.

You know what I love?  CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  You know what I love more than Christmas?  Christmas movies.  My top Christmas movies:
The Grinch: "You're the, the, the-" "The, the, the... THE GRINCH."
The Christmas Story: 3 words: the Leg Lamp.
The Holiday
The Muppets Christmas Carol (Yes.)
The Santa Clause
Every single clay movie that is shown on ABC Family

Isn't the atmosphere what we all love about the holidays?  The smell of Christmas, the warm fuzzy (cliche, I know) feelings we get, the incessant need to cuddle, being with your family (most of the time), the religious mixed with the fantastical... It's like taking a big puff from a holiday hookah.  You get high from those feelings.  Oh wait, is that just me?

Reason #2 Christmas is awesome.  Let's take a walk down Christmas Drive.  Follow Saint Nicholas Day Lane to Christmas Eve Street, then off to Christmas Cove... Keep going.  What's that you see?  Anna's Birthday Celebration Gated Community?!!?!?!?  That's right.

Jesus blessed me with the best birthday ever.  His own.  But I wasn't born that day.  I wasn't ready.  So I waited two days; but my Dad was out of town.  So I came the next day with a vengeance.  December 28th is the day that will one day become a National Holiday.  Here's the bad news.  I'm going to be a senior citizen, aka 22 years old.  Oye vey!  Where has the time gone?  Guess I need to live it up these last 12 days (but who's counting) of freedom.

Reason #3 Christmas is awesome.  Christmas cookies.  I made some the other day for a few friends.  I showed the pictures to Dad.  The conversation that follows is an interpretation of actual events:
Dad: Those look great, Anna B!  You should make some for the folks at my office.
Anna: How much are you going to pay me?
Dad: How much?!  What do you mean how much?!
Anna: How much for the cookies?
Dad: I'm not going to pay you!
Anna: I need to make some money if I'm going to invest that kind of time.
Dad: Well, how much would you charge?
Anna: $50 for 4  dozen cookies.
Dad: Ok, sounds good.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Business is booming.  You think my Christmas cookies aren't work 50 big babies?  Check this out:

Good stuff, right?

Reason #4 Christmas rules.  FINALS ARE OVER.  Grades are in.  And guess who won the Medieval battle.  Yours truly.  After fearing for a C in an English class, or worse a D (gasp!) I was elated when I received a B.  An A would have been perfection but sometimes you gotta take what you can get.  

Now on to the sadness.  I'm depressed that I won't get to spend the holidays with the boyfriend this year. Last year was so magical, but this year is reality.  Magical > reality.  Boyfriend will be in Mississippi selling fireworks... but good news- he has been promoted!  I'm happy for him, but I am selfish and want to be with him during this special time.  Holidays we won't spend together this season: Christmas Eve, Christmas, my birthday, New Year's Eve, his birthday- wah wah wahhhhhhhhh.  Somehow, I think I'll get over it.  I might need a few hershey kisses though...

This is the REALLY sad part.  My roommate has a sister, her sister has a friend, this friend has twin babies.  One of them died.  The details aren't important, it isn't my story to tell.  I don't even know this family, for goodness sake.  What does matter, though, is that this sweet little girl has been taken away from her Mama, Daddy, and sister.  It just isn't right.  Every time something like this happens, I just look up to the sky and ask, "Why?!!!"  It has not and will not ever make sense to me.  As my mom says, "God wanted them."  That answer doesn't fulfill me though.  I have come up with my own theory.

These blessed people, that are always wonderful, that are taken from us weren't ever really human to start with.  My theory is that these people were really angels, not people.  God only gave them to us for only a short while so we could get a taste of what angels are like.  God knows that they are only going to be here for a little while, so He tries to get them to touch as many lives as possible while they are here on Earth.  Isn't it the strangest thing... their stories always travel throughout the country and the globe.  

I developed this theory after Susan died and I had nothing else to hang on to.  I think Susan was an angel who was given directions by God before she was born.  Unfortunately, she didn't remember this.  She didn't know she was an angel until she was gone.  She couldn't remember, or else she would blow the cover.  The thing about angels, is that they have to get a lot done in a very short period of time.  They have to do a lot of really great things, really fast.  They have to scratch off the things on their to-do list before they go, or else.  Think about someone you have lost that you thought was robbed of a full life... Was she an angel; was he?  I think I'm right.

The moral of my theory is to pray for people, even if you don't know them.  Your prayers might just be what they need.  It might help them get out of bed tomorrow or smile a bit tonight.  I ask that you pray for this family, who could need prayers more than a mother who just lost her 20 month old baby?  No one.  

I'm one of the lucky ones because I have so many angels by this point in my life.  They let me know when they're around, too.  It's funny; just look around and you'll see them.  You might even see their faces.  Sometimes, if you just close your eyes and breathe in, you can feel them right next to you.  That's what they want, because they're angels.  So let them love you, and let them take care of you.