Cyndi, What a great thread!

My favorite Christmas memory is with my Grandfather.  My family owns a small farmer's market stand, which used to be a big farm.  Around Christmastime, they would sell Christmas trees and wreaths.  My Grandfather made all of the wreaths.  Every year, after Thanksgiving, his big table in the basement would become full with pine branches, all the little decorations and bows that he would put on, and the wire frames that he would use to make the wreaths.  To this day, the smell of pine creates a very vivid flashback for me.  To the point that the other day when I smelled a pine candle from the Yankee candle store, I actually got a little misty eyed  Every evening after dinner, my Grandfather would go down to the basement and work on his wreaths.  I would go down with him and play.  When I got a little older, I wanted to make them too, and although I was wasting supplies to make a wreathes that could never be sold, he didn't care.  He always told me the ones I made were perfect.  I remember one day, we had brought the completed wreaths down to the stand, and one I made got mixed in with the bunch.  Someone picked it up out of the cart and brought it up to my grandfather to buy.  He told them that his granddaughter made that one, and he thought it was the best one.  He looked so proud when he said it, that this moment has stuck with me since then.  If I ever need a confidence boost, I usually think about that moment.  My grandparents made Christmas so perfect, and so magic every year, but making wreaths with my Grandfather is my favorite memory.  After he died someone else took it over, and I stopped doing it.  I absolutely cannot smell pine with out tearing up a little bit.  The woman who works at the Yankee Candle store must think I'm nuts!

Samantha