December 19, 2011

Happy: Winter Smile List

“If it moves, smile at it,” the conference speaker said to encourage Christian friendliness. This is radical advice for a New Englander but worthy of consideration. Even though I haven’t turned into Gal Smiley or anything, I am making progress. I actually smile at things that don’t move, too. For all you overwhelmed ministry women with too much on your to-do list this time of year, I offer my Winter (and occasionally, seasonless) Smile List.

Snowflakes in all forms
Polar fleece jackets
“Linus and Lucy” by Vince Guaraldi
Christmas in New York
The love of the Father
Victorian houses with brightly painted gingerbread and evergreen swags
Flipping my bed pillow to the cold side
Marshmallows in snowman shapes
Mechanical pencils
Tearooms
Elderly couples who hold hands
Holiday napkins
Group hugs
Peppermint Patties
"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost, illustrated by Susan Jeffers
Dogs that obey
Grandchildren opening presents
Amazing grace
Green Fiesta dinnerware
Frost patterns on the window
Board games
Spotlighted front doors
Costume jewelry
The smell of real vanilla
My solar queen who waves when the morning sun hits her purse
Stocking stuffers
Nutcracker Sweet tea
Being called “Pats”
Snow days
Free lunch
A well-honed outline
Fabric ribbon
Magazine articles about organizing your life
Wild Maine blueberries in the freezer
Hustle and bustle
Bumper stickers that say, “More Wag, Less Bark”
Ballerina flats
Typos like, “The use of insecticides are not recommended since they are beneficial.”
A birthday cake for Jesus
Real fur 
Major league baseball bobble heads
Themed Christmas trees
Themed crossword puzzles
Themed parties
The fellowship of the Holy Spirit
Sheep on the hillside
Handmade quilts
An azalea blooming out-of-season next to a holly bush with berries
Low humidity
One-on-one
A really good Christmas cookie
Hope of seeing the crooked straight and the rough places plain

5 comments:

  1. Eating Christmas cookies for breakfast,
    Fuzzy socks,
    Packing creature comforts for holiday travel,
    Calling "Merry Christmas" to friends in the after-church night air. . .

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ooooh! I love flipping my pillow to the "cold side" too! That is definitely something to smile about! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. You're big on themes, aren't you, Pats? I can recommend a guy who plays a pretty happening version of Linus and Lucy.

    Well-honed outline? Sorry. That's not doing much for stream-of-consciousness me.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Filling goody bags
    Seeing my children play with my friend's children (or friends' children)
    Christmas lights on my great aunt's desk in my living room
    A simple foil-covered star from Russia on top of our Christmas tree

    And I smiled all through your list! Thanks, Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nancy, Editing text that has a well-honed outline saves me enough time to enjoy a really good Christmas cookie.

    ReplyDelete

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