| I hope you've prepared wisely for the coming winter storm. The last time it snowed in Houston on Christmas Eve was 2004. I remember it well. My mom always loved the snow. As a country girl from East Texas living in Houston, we rarely saw it. She would thumb through magazines and wistfully look at the photos of snow-laden countrysides and rifts of snow lining dirt roads along the pasture. The trees dusted heavily with the white stuff was always so appealing especially with the glistening Christmas lights. She longed for the time it would snow on Christmas Eve in her lifetime and we could enjoy a picturesque view of our own. It didn't happen. She died in February of 2004 shattering our world. Christmas would never be the same. She was the matriarch of the family and did everything she could to make the holidays special for our little family with very little means. Christmas was her favorite of all holidays. There was something Christmasy everywhere you looked in the house. Small little vignettes in every corner, not just the living room. I couldn't bear to think about how terrible Christmas was going to be without my mom. The family reluctantly made plans as though she was still coming, but we knew her seat would be empty. So would our hearts. On Christmas Eve day, a cold front blew through and to our surprise and delight, snow was falling across Houston. By evening, everything was covered in the beautiful white snow. I knew exactly where it came from. I believe in my heart my mom talked it over with the good Lord and asked him to do her a favor. That night at Christmas Eve mass, I just couldn't stop crying. I missed my mom, but I think somehow she knew that snow might help soothe our pain at the Christmas dinner table the next day. It was hard to go home after mass. I just wanted to take it all in. When I heard a week ago there was the potential for snow on Christmas Eve in Houston, I couldn't help but look heavenward smiling. If it comes this weekend, I know who sent it. If you haven't prepared yet, my colleague Rebecca Hennes has some tips for you. From my warm, overly-decorated Christmasy home that would make my mom proud, I wish you and yours a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. The newsletter will return next year. Send me your thoughts on the holidays. I enjoy reading your wonderful, informative emails. Drop me a line at dtaylor@hcnonline.com. | 
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