Ever since I can remember, I’ve loved to play the piano. I was blessed to be born into a musical family where everyone played multiple instruments and we all loved to sing. As a family, we would often break into song, making up three-part harmony to keep it interesting and laughing when we goofed up. We didn’t have a lot, but we all had music lessons. We couldn’t afford to go out for dinner, but we attended the symphony at least twice a year. Mom could stretch a dollar to last a mile, but she never let us skip our music lesson!At the time, I didn’t appreciate the sacrifice my mom and dad were making in order to provide their three children with an appreciation for the arts and a love of music. I was too busy being a kid! But, at a young age, I found that music came naturally to me. At the age of three, it was discovered that I had perfect pitch - the ability to identify or recreate a musical note without the benefit of an external reference. If someone was practicing her music lessons and hit a wrong note - I would yell the correct note from across the house.Christmas was a favorite time of the year for all of us, full of holiday rituals, family gatherings, church plays, good food and, of course, music. As an adult, I hear the familiar Christmas carols and I’m transported back to our little house in Danville, Illinois. I’m not sure how a family of five fit into that house, but we didn’t seem to notice. We were always busy with school work, playing outside or practicing inside. I learned at an early age that practicing your music lessons was a near sacred activity – you would never be interrupted or told to stop. And when I realized that as long as I was practicing I didn’t have to do my chores, I quickly decided to practice, practice, practice!After majoring in Piano Performance at the University of Illinois, I took a long hiatus from music and focused my attention on a business career. For almost ten years I didn’t touch the keyboard, but God eventually called me back – to church and to music. I dusted off the old music books and thankfully found that playing the piano is like riding a bike – you never lose it! And although I continued my business career, my music became my favorite diversion, a relief from stress and a source of great joy. The idea of recording this CD slowly crept into my mind. What better way to thank Mom and Dad for all those music lessons – for listening to me practice for all those hours on end, for driving me to lesson after lesson, and for sitting through those excruciating music recitals. Actually, I can’t imagine how you thank someone for that… it was an incredibly generous gift.My hope is that when Mom and Dad listen to these songs they will be transported back to “the good old days” – to happy memories, holiday festivities, smells of gingerbread and spice, family gatherings, and a home full of music and love.