Christmas Time Memories

I was laying in bed this morning thinking about what a great Christmas we had with so much of our family, and being all together. Christmas time also reminds me so much of my dad. I miss him very much, but I don't get sad, but instead I remember all of the wonderful times and how much he loved Christmas. Our good friends Mike and Julie made us a Christmas cd with some traditional Christmas songs on that cd. It made me smile so many times as I listened because all of those songs were the ones my dad just loved. He always wanted to play Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole. My mom always liked the soft-sounding women's voices like Amy Grant, Celine Dion and Crystal Gayle. My dad tried every year (and many cds later) to get us all to like the more old-school, traditional music. I appreciate it so much more now that he's not here because it reminds me so much of him. :) I remember too the numerous years he sent Mandi and I out shopping for the perfect gift for my mom. Sometimes we helped a little, but he was a pretty sweet guy and had good ideas most of the time. We were usually his little elves and wrappers, and had to help out even more after he got ALS and couldn't work his hands much. But really that didn't stop him, as he'd do a lot of shopping online and send it to my house. ;) He had a lineup usually on Christmas morning of what my mom could open, saving the best for last of course. The funniest and best was the look on his face because he was ALWAYS very proud of his gifts he picked out for my mom. Most the time he was successful (except for this one thing he got that might have been a thermometer or something for outside...it had birds on it and looked like it belonged at a 80 year old women's home).
I know that I just smile and laugh with my mom and sister about my dad because we know that he's with the Lord in heaven and we know that one day we will be seeing him again. That makes me less sad when I miss him, and instead cherish the blessing that we had him for our dad and the many years he was with us.