Merry Christmas

t. –

(This is Christmas number 29 for us my love.)

Wow 2016 has passed by so quickly.  So much has changed in the past year and Christmas couldn’t be a more joyous occasion. We will all be together in our home celebrating the holiday like it should be celebrated.  As a family.

So I chose not to make this year’s letter be all about 2016.  I figure I can squeeze in a 2016 year in review next week.  I wanted to make sure that I focused on Christmas itself and how exciting it is going to be as we move on to number 30 next year.

This is going to be difficult, because it requires some speculation.  Some assumptions that may or may not come true.  But I figure there is some level of certainty in our lives, so I’ll make the jump.

This may be our last Christmas as a just the 4 of us.  Which has become kind of special on its own.  Yes, we lack a huge family to celebrate the holidays.  But wouldn’t they just add some level of stress to the day anyway?  For about the past decade or so, we have managed Christmas with just the 4 of us.  We have our traditions, we have our routines and most importantly we all have each other.  We have been able to eat when we want, snack when we want, shower when we wanted and open presents when we wanted.  No timelines, no deadlines, no travelling long distances.  Just some super relaxing 2 days of being together and loads of presents.

I guess next year (and sort of this year) that all changes.

We have the puppy this year.  So for the first time in about 6 years we will have someone destroying wrapping paper that will need to be cleaned up.  She will add the “5th” stocking.  She becomes family member number 5.

We get our first “boyfriend” this year.  Someone from the “outside” joining us on Christmas.  The first potential new family member.  A true “outsider”.  He will see just how joyous you make the holiday.  How amazing you make the food and how perfect you make the holiday.  Someone not named Rozell gets to experience true Tracy holiday magic.  He probably doesn’t know how lucky he is to be a part of this day with our family.

We will likely have a more permanent new family member next year.  Thus, we start on the process of “extended” family.  Again, a whole new set of people who get to experience what a Tracy Rozell Christmas is all about.  The world may not be ready for this.

You would think I am talking about the presents, but I am not.  I am talking about the way you make the holiday perfect.

Look around my love.  5 houses in 7 years and you still make everything fit perfectly.  Nutcrackers found a new home.  Snow globes found a new home.  6 trees.  A spot where you can stand and see 5 trees at one time!  The gentle Santa Claus standing in the snow greeting anyone who walks through the doors.  A new tree covered in pictures of a family with a lifetime of memories.  A mantle elegantly decorated.  A sports themed basement with its own tree.  Packages in the front yard anchored by Mr. and Mrs. Snowman who have finally been set up as they should have been.

I can go on and on about the decorations.  They are winter wonderland of perfection.

But it doesn’t end there.  Food glorious food.  Cookies.  The Rozell cheese plate.  Shrimp Cocktail.  Lasagna.  A perfect Christmas eve meal.  In the morning, there will be popovers and egg casserole.  By mid-day there will be a perfect dinner.  Not rushed in any way, but prepared and served at a pace fitting with 4 people just enjoying the day together.

The reading of “’Twas the night Before Christmas” makes its annual appearance.  Along with the appropriately played Christmas movies.  There will likely be Hot Chocolate at some point as well.  Christmas music has filled the car for weeks and now will fill the house.

The presents will be opened in a fury.  Screams of joy and smiles galore.  A fashion show from one and perfectly folded and put away gift from the other.  The fun seems to never end.  How it fits in a roughly 36-hour window I have no idea.  But with a little Tract magic anything is possible.

Once an outsider witnesses this entire event, they may never want to spend Christmas anywhere else.  Don’t even get me started about when the Grand kids get involved.  I think that is what I look forward to most for you in the future.  They will have no idea how magical you can make things.  I am certain you will start even more traditions just to fit them and make them feel special.

It is your season again.  I guess you should expect this from a person who as a little girl had holiday variety shows in her basement in JULY!  You are the magic of Christmas my love.  You are the season.  You probably think we are all about the presents you buy each year, but the best present you give every year is a magical holiday.  We are so lucky.

Finally, I have one last thing to say this holiday season.  It is off theme with the rest of the letter, but I have been waiting all year to say it to you.

2016 has been one of the best years of my life.  I have fallen even more in love with you than ever before.  It seems that each day things just got better and better for us.  It was a year of “Jim and Tracy”.  We spent so much time together just enjoying ourselves.  In my wildest dreams, I never thought I could be so close to another person.  Yet somehow, we get closer every day.  Somehow, we surpass what I thought was “the best it can be” and make it better.  Everyday something more wonderful between us.  I wake up every day with the same though Tracy.  “How can it get any better than this?” And everyday I got to sleep and think the same thing.  “Somehow it got better than the day before”.  You are truly “The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me”.  I love you so much.

You’re the world to me.  I love you more than anything in the world.

Merry Christmas.  

Thursday

I feel pretty lucky that this owning my own business is finally working out for us.  Outside of the "more consistent" income part i have found what I think is the best benefit of the our little company.

Working from home on Fridays allows us to make Thursday "our time".  In fact it has become something I look forward to every week.  Taco Thursday, Chili Thursday, Popcorn Thursday and most importantly Thirsty Thursday.  It is the day of the week I enjoy most.

Playing cards with you while we enjoy some sports on TV and cocktails is a perfect way to end my week.  Watching a Blackhawks game or whatever lame NFL game i son makes it even better.  We may finally have to embrace those Chicago Bulls once football ends, but for some reason neither of us can seem to get on board with them this season.  Once Sox season starts we can watch them lose game after game after game.  But Hawk will make us laugh, plus we don't need sound for the Sox.

And hey now we have video games!  Who knows where that will lead.  Probably to tons of spending on games we will never play, but seem like genius ideas at the time.

The night isn't all about sports though.  There is always the music part.  Lots of music.  There is the initial fight with the Beoplay, but then that thing helps us rock out like nobody can imagine.  We have microphones, guitars and now a harmonica.  We play them all so well and frankly we are fantastic singers!

You have no idea how much fun I think our concerts are together.  Do you have any idea how much you have to be in love with someone to feel that comfortable around them?  We literally hold "alone in the car" concerts with each other every week.

You rock Elton John, dominate Jackson Browne and frankly your dancing to Ftiz and the Tantrums is awesome.  I have my Billy Joel and some Dashboard Confessionals, but I know my place as your backup singer and rhythm guitar player.  People likely would pay to see us.  We will let the world know when we go on tour.

Then there is the "book".  SO many amazing "deep" and/or "silly" comments in get written down every week.  We are not just brilliant thinkers any more my love, we are "published" thinkers.

The fun lasts and last until we get hungry enough to eat our midnight-ish meal.  Lots of popcorn, leftovers, salami sandwiches - you name it.  Even a few "chopped" like concoctions we have created late at night.  Yummy Yummy Yummy.

Then off to bed for the best part of the night (well to me at least). Always amazing.  Always.

So have those cocktails ready my love, it is Thursday.  Hawks play the Islanders at 6PM.  Best day of the week is on tap.

You're the world to me. I love you more than anything in the world.