Another year …

Another Christmas

Photo by Thalia Ruiz on Unsplash

As I get older Christmas isn’t what it once was. It’s not the commercialism that’s changed my feelings … I think it’s the lack of young children in my life. Most of the great nieces and nephews we used to see are grown. And I think Covid altered relationships in that there are still a few young children but we’re just not in their parents lives like we once were.

It saddens me a bit. After all, Christmas is mostly for the young ones. It’s a joy seeing their excitement about Santa, their smiles on Christmas Day and their happiness when opening a gift. And it can be any gift, small or large or whimsical. They love them all.

I have a fond memory of one of our great nieces when she was about 11 or 12. She was away from home without her parents for a competition. To ease her homesickness my husband and I travelled to where she was … maybe a 45 minute drive away … and took her out for dinner. We were teasing her and asked what she wanted for Christmas. In a joking way she said she wanted “dirt & worms” which was a type of dessert involving chocolate pudding, chocolate wafers crushed and gummy worms. We kinda laughed but filed it away. The next time we saw her we asked again and again she said “dirt & worms.” That sealed it. When it came time to buy her Christmas present we bought all the ingredients for the dessert plus a bowl and spoon for mixing. When she opened the gift on Christmas her eyes lit up. She loved it and said it was the best gift. Memories like that lift my spirits at Christmas time.

Tomorrow is Christmas … make all the memories you can. Someday when all the children are grown those memories will brighten your day.

Happy Holidays and all that jazz to my readers. I hope the season brings and has brought joy to you.

Until the next time.