A journey from here to there ... and how I'm getting there

"Only one thing in the world could've dragged me away from the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window." ~Ralphie Part 7 is dedicated to the Christmas Tree, another tie to my German roots.  The Christmas Tree originated in Germany and  was traditionally decorated with edibles such as apples, nuts or dates. I LOVE a real, fresh Christmas Tree in the house this time of year!  This may surprise some of my readers who personally know me, considering my hippie, tree-hugger ways, but the artificial tree just doesn't do it for me!!   The smell of Christmas as you walk into a house just fills my heart with so much joy and excitement!!!  One of my dreams was to go see the Christmas Tree all lit up at Rockefeller Center in NYC, and in 2012 that dream came true for me!!  It was the most magnificent, magical, and beautiful sight I have ever seen!!!  It was even more majestic then I could have ever imagined!!! I felt like a little kid in a can...

"Oooh fuuudge!" "Only I didn't say "Fudge." I said THE word,  the big one, the queen-mother of dirty  words, the 'F-dash-dash-dash' word!"   ~ Ralphie My oldest making Christmas Cookies in 2003 It's no secret that I am a Christmas fanatic!!!  I love everything about the Christmas season, snow included.  Christmas in our house is so much more than just Santa Claus and gifts.  I encourage my children to believe in the spirit of a man who gave to those in need and instills what the real meaning of Christmas is.   A real tree fills our home with the scents of the season and since 2007 I have hosted Christmas dinner at my house, each year making a new traditional Scottish cuisine dish. We have ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberries, the whole kit, and caboodle.  It may seem like a lavish meal fit for a king, but it's just one meal shared at my table among family.  Since my divorce, my oldest daughter, Caitlin, and I have shared...