I love the idea of Christmas, a time of year when we are all a little happier, we are all a little kinder, and when we are all a little more generous to those less fortunate. As with Ebinezer Scrooge in the “Christmas Carol,” the Christmas season is a chance for redemption, an opportunity to become the person you were meant to be.

   I do love the idea of Christmas, I look forward to Christmas with the same excitement and anticipation as when I was a child. Maybe I am a bit of a romantic, but as I get older, I am becoming more sensitive and idyllic.

   A fire in the fireplace, chestnuts roasting, stockings hung with care, and decorating the tree sounds like a joyous way to spend Christmas Eve to me. If those days ever existed, they are long gone, but it is with great anticipation, that this year, if there was ever a chance to recreate such a Christmas Eve, it will be with friends, in Siena, Italy.

   Yes this Christmas, Day and I will be in Italy with six of our friends. Our trip begins in Siena, an ancient walled city. We arrive in Siena on the 23rd and leave for Rome on the 27th. There is much to be excited about; Christmas in Siena, a tour on the 24th, a food tour in Rome, a tour of the Vatican, the Colosseum and being with friends. Day and I have a small handful of friends, but Day and I are blessed with the most wonderful friends, and my heart is full of joy that we will spend Christmas with a few of them in Siena.

   Christmas Eve in Siena is what I am most looking forward to. Like something out of a Charles Dickens’ novel, the eight of us will wander the the ancient cobblestone streets, shop for our Christmas dinner and Secret Santa. We will have a Christmas Eve dinner, drink wine and wrap gifts, and maybe attend Midnight Mass. And, just like a Charles Dickens’ novel, we will retire for the night, with hearts full of joy and Christmas Cheer.

   Yes, I am a romantic. I look forward to the joys of exploring Siena and Rome with my beautiful wife and our friends. I dream of simpler days, when Day and I can enjoy one another like so many years ago, before the jobs, the house, bills and daily obligations. And, I am often overwhelmed as I discover the changes in me, becoming the person I want to be, becoming the person I was meant to be, as Day and I live our live together, explore, dream, discover, and travel together.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all

Luv ya

Curly