The holidays bring such nostalgia. Life just smells good and looks good everywhere. Each year as the temperatures and the leaves start their dropping, twinkle lights appear, and everything smells like cinnamon and evergreen, the memories, for me, surface not only of holidays past, but of pregnancy, labor and delivery.

All three of my kids’ birthdays are in a four week time frame at Christmastime; Jill, December 2, Jason, December 22 and Travis, January 6. So for several years I didn’t fit into a cute little black dress for holiday parties. Really I was proud to fit into anything at that point. I did look pretty good in a burlap robe when the church pageant needed a Mary.

Two of my young friends have just had babies and they’ll join me in the way they store memories of this time of year. Ashley just had a baby girl a couple of weeks before her little girl’s first birthday. Two in one year! And, Abi had a baby boy the other day to join two sisters. She's had three in three years. Actually, I’m not real sure either of these girls will remember anything.

Jill sent Abi a text the day she was scheduled for delivery to let her know she was thinking about her. Abi text back saying, “Real sooooon now!” Oh my! I was stunned. She had the presence of mind to text. Maybe she will have fond memories or maybe she was a bit delirious.

Obviously, labor and delivery looks nothing like it did when I was giving birth. Now there can be a party in the delivery room if the mom wants one. I had to talk on the phone to Jim Brawner when I was in labor with Jason because he couldn’t come past the double doors. I think that was just mean. I remember being so scared, but thinking if Mary could handle this in a manger, I can it in a hospital.

One person told me I didn’t plan very well having babies. I disagree. Who was planning, anyway? We just party from Thanksgiving through the new year and make wonderful memories. My biggest challenge is to not wrap birthday gifts in Christmas paper.