Christmas all year long.

Christmas. It comes once a year. The music, the movies, the shopping, there is something magical about that time of year. Speaking for myself, I get that Christmas feel on and off throughout the year. As long as I could remember I've been a Christmas lover. Even now I think back to those years when my father would put up our Christmas tree, while my Mom would cook the delicious Christmas dinner. As a child, I grew up with six siblings, in the projects of East New York, Brooklyn. In my opinion nothing made our apartment cozier than Christmas. On Christmas Eve in particular there was nothing better than sitting around, and gazing at my father's tree while he played his Spanish olden Christmas music. 

My father loved Christmas, and he took so much pride in his Christmas tree. I suppose it's fair to say that I inherited my love of Christmas from him. I make sure to decorate my tree every year, but now with social media, I began to run a page on Facebook that is dedicated to Christmas. The page is titled Christmas Daily, and the page right now has over 23, ooo followers. That is amazing to me. Honestly, it has far more followers than my author page. That's even more amazing, but I think I know why that is the case. Christmas brings out the child in all of us. Besides, that it also brings out memories, and the warm feeling many get, when they think of it. Since starting the page I have made my share of friends I refer to as my "Christmas friends." I was in awe at being able to find so many Christmas lovers who loved the idea of having a page to celebrate Christmas all the time.

I celebrate all year. I listen to my Christmas songs throughout the year. Fun as that is, it still doesn't beat when everyone is playing the music during the Christmas season. Some people have told me that they cannot listen to Christmas music during the year, because it would take away the special feel when its time to play it. I don't agree with that, but I know its different for everyone. There was a time I felt that way. I made sure I didn't listen to Christmas songs, during the year, just to get that special feel when the songs began to play the day after Thanksgiving. And yes I cannot deny, there is that special feeling when the songs begin to play. Perhaps like one of my fellow Christmas friends once pointed out "there's just something magical when it seems like everyone is in the joy of listening." When everyone is in the spirit. I can understand that. 

As I got older I missed my Christmas music. During the hot sticky summer I began to play the "Time Life Treasury of Christmas" especially during August. I didn't get the same feeling I felt while hearing the songs during the holiday season, but they still brought me warmth. Not the warmth I needed to escape from a hot sticky summer, but the Christmas warmth, I always manage to feel. I felt a strange guilt when I began to do this, but when Christmas came that year, nothing changed. If anything the Christmas music was more special than ever before. Just knowing Christmas had come, and the music was playing everywhere, made me realize that nothing beat the special feel of Christmas music during Christmas time. That will forever by special.

It's the same with my Christmas page. No matter how many Christmas pictures I post, You Tube music, or Christmas reflections nothing tops the visits the page gets during Christmas time. More people join the page during that time, and it too gets that special feel. One of the first things I did on Facebook, was search for a Christmas page. I was curious to see if there were other Christmas lovers out there like me, who missed Christmas during the year, and wanted to celebrate it all the time regardless if that was once a week, every day, or once a month, but at any time during the year without feeling guilty. Maybe we'd feel silly, but not the bad kind of silly, the fun kind. The childlike kind. I found the pages, and made many some new online friends. I became inspired to start my own page (thanks to one friend who encouraged me along with others) and its been wonderful. Perhaps the best part of administering a Christmas page is when the members thank me for creating the page. For many the page has brought them joy, and I am thankful that my love of Christmas is helping bring that joy and comfort to others. Thank you Christmas!!