I 'yam what I 'yam because of 'yAmber

I love Christmas. Of course my mother always made Christmas fun when I was a kid. If you know my mom you know it is true. We made ornaments, and candy, cookies (don't forget to decorate them!), fudge, reading all the stories and watching the movies, we saw the lights, decorated gingerbread houses, EVERYTHING!

But I have to say, that Christmas is what it is to me because of my sister Amber. The Christmas after I got my first job, we decided to combine our money with our brother, and buy presents for everyone in the family. And not just one present, but 3 presents per family member (which if you recall is quite a feat since there are so many of us).

For at least a month, we would all go shopping together. Amber would blast the Christmas music and we would all sing (mostly badly). Snow? 1,000,000 shoppers? No problem. We made an effort to say "Merry Christmas" to everyone we made contact with. We welcomed the crowds and the lines. That made it all the more special when we got the perfect gift. We made sure that we had money to give to every bell ringer and a smile for anyone out that day.

We would laugh as we wrapped presents and then (at least what seemed like many nights) she would read Christmas stories of giving, love, and family out loud to us. Most years, we would give to Sub for Santa too.

Christmas was always a time of laughter, love, giving, some crying (you know stuff like that "Christmas shoes" song get you too), and fun. Now my sweet sister lives many states away but this time of year will always make me think of those times and how they have shaped Christmas for me. It will always feel like a time of giving (even without money), a time of family (even when they move away), and a time of love. Thanks Amber.