christmas is:

I miss my Dad so much, I lost him in 2004.  We shared a love of animals; our Christmas tradition was to take a special warm bran mash out to my horses on Christmas day.  We both fed the birds in winter, fed any stray animal that showed up and bottle fed baby rabbits that had been orphaned by a cat or a dog.  

He taught me so many things, stuff not normally taught to a female child... how to change a flat tire, how to use a lathe, how to build a barn, how to fix about anything with a few paper clips and some string and duct tape.  Whenever I have to fix something around the house, I think, 'how would Dad fix it?'.

Thanks for reminding me of my wonderful earthly father.