Christmas is for wishing upon one lovely star..Christmas is a longing to be where loved ones are.

Well, here we are, one week before Christmas. If you are like me, you have spent the last month in a frenzy of decorating, list making, shopping, and wrapping. Trying to get everything done and ready for that big day. My goal every year is to get it all done so that I can sit back the last week and just enjoy the anticipation. I've taped countless movies and programs on my dvr at home so that I may sit down and watch some of them this next week, but it's questionable if I will actually get that done. I always try to watch "White Christmas". This old classic always gets me in the mood, especially with the ending, it truly is one of the most beautiful Christmas scenes from a movie, I just love the little ballerina girls all dressed in red and white, and Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellens dresses were breathtakingly beautiful. The music from "White Christmas" is just so wonderful. WGCY Radio Station hosted a "Christmas Party" at the "Perfection Coffee House" this past Wednesday night and we had a lovely evening, the meal was very good, the company was great, and the entertainment from the area was nothing short of spectacular. Ann Spangler and her daughters, Katie and Emily did the cutest skit of "White Christmas", included all the important points of the story, along with all of the songs and dancing parts, pared down, of course. It was very entertaining, they are a very talented family, indeed! The Duquette Family with Heather Bradford provided some wonderful harmony to some old Christmas favorites, Sam Duquette sang a couple of solos and did a great job! Aaron and April Nettleton also are a very talented pair and added some "spins" on some old favorites, too. Steve Anderson is always a consummate professional with his vocals, Bing Crosby doesn't have a thing on Steve, his version of "White Christmas" was just magnificent. Steve was also kind enough to set up all of his equipment for use that evening. Thanks so much Steve, your always there to help out when we need it. All in all, it was an evening not to be missed and would have put one in the "Christmas Spirit", indeed. This week-end will include the usual chores of cleaning and I am going to try to do some baking, but alas, the baking fairies did not bless me with the "baking gene". For some reason, I am just not a very good baker, probably because baking requires very precise measuring, and I am not great at that, I'm a pinch of this, pinch of that, throw in a little of this, throw in a little of that kind of cook, which is the kiss of death for a cookie or cake. My daughter Ashley is a superb baker, everything looks and tastes as it should, and never burnt or too under-cooked. I just love to get goodies from her kitchen. The girl could open a bakery, she is that good! My cookies always come out burnt or raw, never do they look like Paula Deens cookies, that's for sure. I was watching Paula doing some baking last night and it's magical how her cookies always come out looking so good, I really think they should show the ones that got burnt while she was talking, and Paula does alot of talking on her show. I wish they would show something ruined just once on the "Food Network", it would make the rest of us feel much better. Now the main course is my speciality, I can roast the best turkey, prime rib, or pork tenderloin, that I can do. So at Christmas, I always let Ashley and Casey bring the desserts and Casey can make the most wonderful salads, they are always unique and so different. Ashley made the best pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving, it was a beauty and tasted even better! I guess that's the answer to pretty much everything in life, find what you are good at and do it and let others do their thing, too. We have a very good mix of bakers and cooks in our family, I'm very thankful of that, it would be bad if we all were bad cooks or bakers. And Christmas is all about the food, never forget that. Everyone so looks forward to all of the "goodies", at least I do, because we just don't have many "goodies" at our house the other 364 days of the year. My birthday is on Christmas Eve and I always spend the day in the kitchen, I enjoy it so much. Our married children come over, along with little Jack around 5:00pm for appetizers and drinks, then we ease into our meal. I just love the evening before Christmas Day, the anticipation of opening our gifts on Christmas morning, listening to the Christmas Carols on the Radio, the glow of the Christmas tree and the decorations, it truly is a special evening. Christmas Eve has always been my favorite part of Christmas, I love Christmas morning too, but it's closer to being over, then. We spend so much time and energy getting ready for it and sometimes it gets over just a little too fast for me, I wish we could slow it down, just a tad. We do take our time opening our gifts, we never just tear into them. Each person gets one gift at a time and we all watch that person open their gift. I think it's good that way, it does take time, but you get to actually watch that person open the gift and see what they got. It's especially good for children, it teaches them patience and that it's good to acknowledge each gift and person opening that gift. The one thing that is a little different at our home now is, I get up Christmas morning by myself, if Christmas falls on a week-day, as Hubby has to be on the air. Bob Benefiel was so good to work for Gary when our children were younger, so that Gary could be home with his family. There is a special place in heaven for people like Bob. We miss him at the Radio Station. Troy Hutchcraft was our evening announcer for years and did such a great job, Troy was always there to help out when you needed it, we miss Troy very much, also. For those of you that go back a few years, you would remember Laverne White also. Laverne had a soothing, deep voice and played his own special kind of music. Laverne White was a staple at our station for many years and was a very talented man, indeed. Especially at Christmas, I miss them all so very much. We were so lucky to have them as friends and employees of the Radio Station. The Christmas music on WGCY, I think, is the most traditional and beautiful Christmas music you will ever hear, we try to find music that everyone can appreciate. We hear from lots of listeners each year that enjoy the Christmas music on WGCY. It is our Christmas gift to you. Yes, it's one week away, Christmas of 2009, get all of your chores done so you can sit back and enjoy it, relax, sit down in a comfortable chair, turn off all of your lights, except your Christmas decorations, turn on your radio, and enjoy the sounds of the season. Don't get stressed out, if everything isn't perfect, it's ok, cause no one but you will know it, that's for sure. If your cookies get burnt, just make another batch. If your presents aren't wrapped perfectly with perfect ribbons, who cares? No one will notice, I promise you. I always say, as far as I know, there was only one perfect person here on earth, and he could care less about things being perfect, so just give that notion up, you'll give yourself, your family, and others the best gift of all, the gift of a relaxed mom and grandmother. Burl Ives said it best, "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas, it's the best time of the year, I don't know if they'll be snow, but have a cup of cheer. Have a holly, jolly Christmas, and when you walk down the street, say "Hello" to friends you know and everyone you meet. Ho Ho the mistletoe hung where you can see, somebody waits for you, kiss her once for me. Have a holly jolly Christmas and in case you didn't hear, oh by golly have a holly jolly Christmas, this year!"