Christmas 2009 is over, but what a wonderful time it was! Spending time with all the new babies in our life and their parents brought back the magic of Christmas.
As a child, Christmas was so wonderful and special. For 40 years, I spent Christmas at my grandparents, and each year I looked forward to that time eagerly. We had our traditions--eggnog at 4 on Christmas eve, followed by the opening of the gifts, pizza for Christmas eve dinner, and then that much anticipated call from Santa, putting the children on notice that he was on his way, and would NOT stop if the children were not asleep...which was really hard if you were a kid that was so excited about Christmas! And, Christmas morning brought those special Santa gifts and birthday presents for my dad. First my grandfather and then my grandmother died, and my mom got sick, and the children grew up...and Christmas was harder. We've had a harder time establishing new Christmas traditions, as things change quite rapidly. As I think back to those earlier Christmases, I know now that the magic was not in the gifts but in the people. The gifts and toys were often left untouched after a while, especially as soon as the 3 and, later on, 4 generations gathered at the card table for those fierce games of Pitch. It seemed to me, as a child and even as I grew older, that time stopped for a brief while, allowing the family to spend time together, without any outside distractions; there were no errands to run, the weather didn't matter, the cooking was done amdist great companionship. And, as a family, we did come together, young and old alike enjoyed those card games and I have fond memories of those times and I miss them.
This year, with the addition of the two new babies (well, little ER was here last year but still...), I realize that life and Christmas traditions are beginning anew...things are different, but the time spent with family is especially precious and, I now know, short-lived. My dad, who was 81 on Christmas Day, is still in great shape but the time for these 4 generations to come together for food and fellowship is not guaranteed and, thus, is all the more precious.
To my friends and family, I hope the new Year finds you happy, healthy, and may you have days to spend with those you love.
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