The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

I needed inspiration this year, and Heather Dilworth and her mother, Lori Schiller, gave me just that. I can hear people now; it's not even Thanksgiving! But this year, I need to celebrate early. Heather loves all things Christmas because "Christmas makes you happy!"

Heather said, "I'm not normally quite this early, but I feel like as I've gotten older, Christmas is just so quick that four weeks is gone just like fast. I'm turning 40 in December, and my mom said, "I want to come and do something for your birthday." Heather told her, "I want you to come here. Decorate my whole entire house for Christmas. And do all the Christmas things --gingerbread houses--Christmas cookies."

"The best thing about decorating for Christmas is all the memories. Christmas is always a good time for us."

"Growing up, my grandmother gave us a new ornament every year, so one year, it was a ballerina because I was doing ballet. Or, like one year, the boys were playing football. So, it was a football ornament when we would decorate the tree at home. We had all these ornaments."

Heather said, "I think the funniest thing for me is now that my daughter (Grace) shares the same love my mother and I have shared." Lori told me she still helps her mother decorate. "She's 87 years old, and she's still alive. But I decorate for her. And last year, when I was decorating for my aunt and mom, Heather told me, 'I just want to be with you guys.' Heather said, "I love that we share the same interest in decorating because not everybody does know. Now, Grace absolutely loves it. It's magical. I feel bad for people who don't like Christmas because I'm like, it's the best!"

"I think it's hard to sometimes because you get wrapped up in the in the season like the gifts and Christmas and but I really think, I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I feel at Christmas time people are always a little bit more generous, a little bit more giving a little bit more."

Her favorite Christmas food-"I would probably say sugar cookies. I love decorating gingerbread houses, too. And one other thing that we make is white chocolate-covered cinnamon bears. Oh my gosh. They're so good--cinnamon and vanilla flavor."

While interviewing them, I got just what I needed to be energized. I'm going to get ready early this year.

Lori said, "I think we're all ready for a change at Christmas. What is going on in the world so hard? I think we need something that brings joy. We love joy, joy in this journey. And we call it Christmas because we need to remember."