What does Christmas mean to you? To me it runs deeper than just celebrating the birth of our savior Jesus.

Now I haven’t given it much thought this year till the other day during my boxing workout at the Parkinson’s Exercise and Wellness Center, as we were stretching for our class our instructor Sarrisa asked who we missed this time of year and of course my mom was my answer.

What I didn’t expect was the raw emotion that almost overcame me. As we stretched I felt my eyes tear up as my mind was racing with memories, from mom yelling “don’t come in here” as she was wrapping our presents to the drive over to our grandparent’s farm just outside of Marceline MO, we would always turn off Hwy 36 and take the back way to the farm and mom would always break into song singing “Over the river and though the woods to grandma’s house we go” which was an point on description of our drive to the farm.

I also realized that outside of my lights on the outside of my home because I’m keeping the house staged for sale, I don’t have any of my Xmas decorations up, they are all in storage. I would say the 80% of my decorations are from my mom. Many of them handmade!

Each year as I put up my decorations mom is on my mind, but this year she is there more than ever as I walk though the house it feels bare and empty and I can’t help but feel the she would be disappointed in that. I look forward to next year when her decorations will be out in full force.

So what does Christmas mean to me? It obviously means family, and in family I include all of you that have been a part of my life, my Sig Ep brothers, my Northwest Family, my Arrow Truck family, my MN family, my NH family and especially my family in my fight against Parkinson’s. You all make me feel like George Bailey.

Merry Christmas to you all!