December is here and the holiday festivities have begun, but the Christmas Spirit hasn’t quite settled in yet. Maybe it’s my crazy schedule or something else, but I find myself searching for that essence of Joy.

We made a concerted effort this weekend to at least look the part of the season. Hannah went exploring for a tree only to return and say, “There are NO Christmas trees out there.”

Seriously? Forty-nine acres in Maine and there are NO trees suitable for a Christmas tree?

So I picked a Charlie Brown tree. Once the sun sets and the fairy lights come on, it doesn’t look quite so woebegone. We’ve decked the halls, but I cannot find my window candles anywhere. There’s something about candles in the window that make things seem magical.

When I shared my ambivalent feeling about the season, Hannah said, “No snow, no spirit.” And then today, let there be snow. Our first measurable snowfall of the season. Maybe it’s what I need to jump start the Christmas Spirit.