Thanksgiving has come and gone.  The Macy's Day parade ended with that pudgy little fella in a red suit, hat, and reindeer pulling into town!  Yes, the Christmas season is upon us.  Well, I am ready!  Back in August, September, and October I was listening to Christmas music.  Why?  Because I was thinking about my 4th Annual Christmas Painting.  I wanted to paint the perfect Christmas painting to represent 2018.  So, I began to paint.  And over a 3-month period I ended up with not 1, not 2, but 3 paintings.  Now, I had the task of picking out THE painting for my '4th Annual'.  But here it is.  Thanksgiving is over and I still cannot decide which one I want.  I have one I'm leaning towards but I realize something important.  It's not about me.  It's about others.  It's about what others feel.  After all, this is Christmas.  This is a season where people come together.  We exchange sentiments.  We exchange presents.  We exchange love.  See, the season is about 'giving' of ourselves to other; especially with the things in our hearts.  So, here's what I have decided with this year's 4th Annual Christmas painting.  I painted each of these from my heart.  Over a 3 month period , which started in August, I poured my heart into every detail, reflected by so many aspects of my heart and people I love.  Over the past year, our family has lost 3 people that were near and dear to my heart.  One, her name was Renee, helped me pick out last year's Christmas painting, suddenly without warning, passed away August 3rd.  She was only 31.   Previous to that, my lifetime friend, Kenneth passed away in December 2017 suddenly at age 51.  And just 2 days before Thanksgiving, his father, Gene, passed away after a short battle with cancer, age 77.  It was after these moments in time that I realized that each of these paintings, enveloped with thoughts of love, family, and the season of giving belong to each of their memories.  And now, I must share all of them as my collective 4th Annual Christmas Painting.  Each of them would love that I use their memories, their hearts, their special lives to share with all of you for Christmas 2018.

So, enjoy these 3 paintings.  I have affectionately named each one.  "Tmagik Express" is my way of hijacking Santa's presents train!  "Christmas De Light" denotes the light we each have in our hearts that provides a place of warmth, although the world outside is often so cold.  And finally, "Forever Frosty" is a reflection of happiness through the eyes of a wonderful, favorite childhood character of my own. 

If you love them, share them.  Share them with everyone you know and love.  It is a gift that God gave me, with the ability to paint.  And it is that gift I share with those I care about and I love, from those that I have loved -- and even with those of you I will never meet.  That's the way love works.  And that's the way it should work everyday, not just this season. 

Merry Christmas everyone.  Hug one another, love one another.  Life is but a vapor.  So, do it today!

Terry Kuder Jr.

"Tmagik"

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