Christmases past and present

Bear with me...I have one last word about Christmas and then I'll move on!

I have a confession to make:  Ever since I was a little girl, my parents were very generous with Christmas gifts, both to me and to each other.  First as a child, and then as a young adult, I realized that Christmas rocked at our house!  My parents did not spoil me behaviorally, but they did indulge when it came to Christmas gifts.  And, really, I was just fine with that!  My father was the one responsible for buying the excess of gifts, actually.  My mom was too frugal, but my dad, who had never had anything growing up, wasn't about to scrimp when it came to Christmas gifts.

 

Although my dad's nurses swore that he walked around the office saying, "Bah Humbug," it must have been an act.  He loved Christmas!  Christmas candy, poinsettias, lights, and especially buying gifts--Daddy loved it all.  And my mom loved making things for me for Christmas.  A Christmas never passed that didn't include at least one handmade gift.  When I was very young, that mostly meant Barbie clothes.  My Barbies had the best wardrobes in town, and mom swore I had a radar for knowing when she was making something.  I'd come home from school and snoop in her sewing room trash can.  When I spotted little scraps of fabric, I'd ask oh so innocently, "Are you making something new, Mama?"  She learned to hide those fabric scraps! 

 

As I grew older, the need for Barbie clothes dwindled, and instead my parents gave me real clothes--something that a young fashionista craved.  Ah, for the days when I was skinny enough for that to matter!  As a teen, I loved clothes just about as much as anything else I received.

 

Time passed, and after my dad passed away in 1989, Christmas was always somewhat bittersweet.  Mom tried to keep things the same at first, but then after I got divorced, Christmas just wasn't that joyous of an occasion, what with no husbands, no kids, no grandparents, and no close family at the time.  For the first time ever, I understood why some people don't like the holidays.  Some years, I just wished the holidays would be over so that I could go about my business without feeling the need to be "happy."  Mom and I stopped trying when it came to gifts too.  Most of the time, she just asked me what I wanted, and the last few years, I even bought the gift myself since she couldn't get out.  I still liked surprising her, though.  Mom still had a few surprises up her sleeve too--like the year we ended up getting each other the same gift that we had both seen and liked in a catalog.  It was a small gift, but that is one of the funniest, best things I remember from the last couple of Christmases.

Several years ago, my cousin Kris issued a standing invitation to mom and I to spend Christmas with her family.  Lord bless her, that was a fabulous thing to me--being able to spend the holiday with family!  Many years, though, mom's health was such that we couldn't go.  It was almost like "the old days" though, when we were able to make the trip.  One year, she even invited some of my other family to stop by the house on Christmas eve.  That was so fun! 

I knew this Christmas would be hard--the first on my own (so to speak).  Of course, Kris (and her kids) insisted that I come up for as long as I was able.  I must admit that I also indulged myself more than a little and bought myself a few gifts:  new glasses (I needed a new prescription anyway), a Project Life kit, a new camera, a photo printer, and the LV bag I have been coveting for years!  Like I said, I indulged more than a little!  I'll be good next year, and I figured after the year I'd had, I deserved it! 

 

Pretty, huh?

One of the many Christmas trees I experienced

My cousin's newly renovated house

Libby, the Pixie-bob cat

My cousin's son, Lane--who happens to be (along with his sister Hillary) one of the coolest kids I've ever met!

 

From this year forward, I resolve to making Christmas a joyous occasion, no matter where or with whom I celebrate it!  I think mom--and daddy--would want that.