A Snow Globe for you | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: Please join me in welcoming our newest contributor to BCN, Kathy Manos Penn, a native of the "Big Apple", by way of the "Peach City" - Atlanta. Kathy is a former English teacher, author of The Ink Penn blog, and a communications professional in corporate America. Now with Kathy on board, I advise all other contributors to mind your punctuation and syntax.

    Please join us for the Christmas season at our home. Imagine shaking a snow globe and seeing a home with a red front door and a smiling snowman standing beside it. When you accept his invitation to open the door to a cozy living room scene, what will you find inside?

         •  A two-foot stuffed reindeer greeting guests in the entry hall

         •  Greenery and mittens hung from the stair railing

         •  A full size Christmas tree in one corner with a crocheted angel topper

         •  A small tree decorated all in cat ornaments in another

         •  Yet another corner with a fire glowing in the wood burning stove

         •  A metal ornament tree sporting Woolworth's ornaments from the '50s

         •  Sparkling jars filled with icicle lights

         •  Bookshelves displaying a collection of Santas and an assortment of Christmas cards

         •  Stuffed Christmas bears and cats peeking out of baskets

         •  Christmas candles, pillows, nutcrackers, stockings and more scattered throughout the living room, kitchen and dining room

    Imagine you are there and the fire is keeping you warm; if you're still cold, you can grab one of the many throws in the basket beside the couch. Perhaps the cat will crawl up in your lap and purr and the dog will lie by your feet, only occasionally coming over to nudge your hand for a head rub.

    Now picture yourself in a comfy, snuggly robe, reaching for a steaming mug of coffee or hot chocolate. Imagine a quiet weekend morning and see yourself reading the paper with Christmas music playing softly in the background. Can you hear Mannheim Steamroller, piano music by Danny Wright and George Winston, and A Winter's Solstice by the Windham Hill Artists or maybe the TV tuned to Sounds of the Season with Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Julie Andrews, Perry Como and all the other artists you listened to as a child?

    Shake the snow globe once again to see an evening scene, with your family in Christmas sweaters or sweatshirts watching Holiday specials on TV: A Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, Prep & Landing, Shrek the Halls, How the Grinch stole Christmas, or A Christmas story. Are you smiling yet?

    Here's wishing one and all a very Merry Christmas, complete with a magical snow globe beneath the tree.