Have been reminiscing about Christmases past off and on for a while now. 'Tis the season. Not sure what triggered that, but had fun thinking about my Dad putting up lights -- definitely not his forte - or favorite pastime -- and about my Mom busy in the kitchen preparing all our family favorites from scratch ... for what seemed like days on end. Our home smelled so mouth-wateringly yummy! And then there was the wonder of the midnight church service on Christmas Eve. The candles were so welcoming. Christmas is a season really -- weeks of special festivities -- all around exciting -- perhaps especially so for a child.
I recalled the time I ruined my own Christmas when, after exhausting many possibilities, I discovered a hidden cache of presents tucked away on the high shelf in the hall closet. I opened them all and then rewrapped them. No surprises that year. In fact it was an early dreading of having to wear the sweater that my mom had selected for me. (We never did have the same taste in clothes. She was a matching outfit sort of person with appropriate jewelry, and I was a jeans/sweatshirt person with appropriate socks. That was just the way it was. It was okay. We came to respect each other's choices...eventually.)
Then came thoughts of the Sears Catalog -- the Wish Book. Oh how I miss that catalog. I used to go through it again and again -- wishing for this and that. Then, after the holidays, I would cut special parts out and make a shoe box house with pictures of appliances and furniture. Ah... the good olde days.... Bubble lights, wooden toys, good food, fires in the fireplace, falling asleep on the floor with my head on the family dog. Ah Dutchess, you were a fine and patient dog.
Then came thoughts of not so fun wintery and holiday things -- plastic bread bags on your feet to keep them dry in boots that always leaked, the constant smell of wet wool, as well as chapped lips and wrists. I particularly hated having to wear scratchy holiday dresses with short ouchy sleeves and bows that tied in the back. I thought, also, of breaking my wrist ice-skating in my new ice skates the day after Christmas. That's what you get when showing off by grabbing onto the the end of a whip. You skaters know what that is. I was a stupid 8 year old at the time, but ... I did get to go back to school after Christmas vacation with an impressive cast to show off... so there was a plus side. Ah youth... if only that were the only stupid thing I did....
Times have changed and do offer some positives. Waterproof coats that are filled with goose down or a good substitute, clothes that are flexible and soft boots that do not leak, a veritable deluge of catalogs to browse through, improvements in food preparation that save time, ChapStick and longer sleeves/mittens .... I even learned not to grab on to the end of an ice-skating whip. Sometimes change is a good thing. Sometimes it is important for me to remember that.
Times also have changed though in the family who are present. That is the way of life. These "changes" make all holidays times of mixed emotions -- deeply poignant. I want to remember all of that -- always. I want to remember that it is especially important to be kind during these times. It is a journey that we all share. We are all missing people we love. Perhaps this "missing" is especially hard at Holiday times.
I am thankful for memories of Christmases past and thankful, too, for the Christmases now and to come. Merry Christmas! Let's hope we are all able to make some wonderful memories and especially -- to be a good part of memories for others.
No comments:
Post a Comment