And so it begins. Time to break out the holly and the lights. Time to place Santa and nativity in the yards.
And also, my first series in the Blogosphere begins. I can only hope that it will make jolly for my readers (with a tear or two trickling down your cheek from time to time).
Today, I'm touching on "Memories of Christmases Past".
When I was little Christmas was a big deal in my home, and within the extended family.
We decorated throughout the house. Hung Mistletoe, garland, lights and such. The tree was decked out in all kinds of ornaments, with any of my school-made-by-hand crafts at the forefront of the tree.
All the neighborhood kids would come over each year to our home for a Christmas Party, and Santa (who changed looks every year) would take gift requests from us children.
Then, we would also visit my Aunt (Mom's sister) and Uncle. Some of my Grandma's sisters would travel to California to spend time with one another and with their nieces and nephews. And there was my cousin Don, who stood at almost seven feet tall. He would hoist me on his shoulders and I could touch my head to the ceiling without even trying or "reaching" for it.
Sadly, pretty much most of them are now dead. Don fell victim to Lou Gehrig's Disease. All of my Great Aunts have passed due to old age or health problems. My Uncle is now gone, thanks to cancer.
But those family gatherings fell apart after my Grandmother's death. And even more so, after Mom's passing. Gone were the days of smiles, love and laughter.
Even in my home. Christmas was never really the same. Much more quiet and reserved. My family is gone now for the most part. All I have left is my Dad. And he is almost 3,000 miles from here.
Sure, I have my husband. I have his side of the family. And yes, we do Christmas big on that end these days. But it's not the same thing. They aren't MY family. Yes, I am "married in" and a part of the family.But still, it doesn't have the same... "meaning" as sharing the love, laughter and holidays, as it does with YOUR family. YOUR loved ones.
So, I am ensuring that the few traditions that my Mom had for me (as an only child) are passed along through me to my kids. Such as the yearly viewing of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" and "Merry Christmas Charlie Brown". As well as hanging the hand-made ornaments from my kids on the tree.
Plus, I have an ornament (and wish to add to them, seeing as the kids have grown greatly and their tastes have changed) for each of my children of cartoon characters that they enjoyed when little. And of course, I hang their "Baby's First Christmas" ornaments.
When I have grandkids, I hope to pass along the tradition to my kids to do the same.
I may no longer have the family I once did due to several heartbreaking circumstances that plagued us when I was young, but I still have my memories of beautiful Christmas times with my family when we were all happy and loved one another (seemingly) unconditionally.
And no one, family, friend or foe can take those times away from me.
3 comments:
From the time my oldest was born I have purchased each child an ornament every year with their name on it. This way when they are on their own they will have several ornaments for their own trees to start with..
A neat idea to remember those who are no longer with us. My uncle passed away years ago and his passion was feeding the birds in his yard. Now every year we buy a bird ornament for our tree in his memory. He's the most recent, I buy ornaments every year for my grandmother and father as well, but they're not themed like his are. It's also a neat way to keep their memories alive in the mind of little ones who have a hard time remembering people in their past sometimes.
Beautiful post, the Christmas memories of our childhood will always be special!
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