Here is that time of year again, when you may have visions of sugar plums dancing in your heads, or the movie, "Miracle on 34th Street" is on TV playing in the background while you and your loved ones are decorating the house, putting up a Christmas tree (or two), and someone is wondering which box or boxes the outside lights have been packed in.. and the Christmas decorations for the yard.. oh.. where did they go? I'm thinking about all of this; and then some, during this time of year, when things are supposed to be festive and fun.
Why do we put ourselves through this, year after year? The mad dash for baking, decorating, and the holiday making, the presents, the wrapping, the Christmas Parties, so we can all gather around with our families and friends, and make new memories. Oh, the stress of making it all fun for our loved ones. We do it because we hold traditions near and dear to our hearts.. That's why we do it year after year.. We want our children to have memories and learn about the old ways, of our Christmas's past.. when we were children.. when we were young, innocent, full of wonder and youth.. and not to mention, full of boundless energy.. (where did that go too)?
And do you ever wonder what happens when you lose your beloved family members and they are no longer with us? Do the traditions die along with them? Sometimes. Sometimes traditions do die along with them because the memories of Christmas Past.. or Holiday Seasons Past are just too painful. So the ornaments are still carefully wrapped in tissue paper that is decades old, in the original boxes which have seen better days. But the ornaments, the decorations are the keys to memories and traditions we hold near and dear to our very hearts and souls.
I think this is the first year I have been adamant about putting up a tree, and getting those decorations out of the damn boxes which have been stored up in the loft for too long. We are not doing ourselves a favor, or our memories for that matter, leaving cherished traditions packed away in boxes. No. No. They are coming out, to bring life and happiness to our homes again. That's what they are going to do. This is going to get done!
My fondest memory of my mom is when I was about 4 or 5 years old. We were living in Niemey, Niger (Located in Northern Africa, at the Southern edge of the Sahara Desert) It was Christmas time. We did not have our Christmas ornaments with us, they were still stateside, in Vancouver, Washington. So, what did mom do? She improvised, and she was the best at that. My brothers can probably attest to that much better than I ever could. But.. back to my story.. Mom improvised.. She took the cellophane wrappers off the packages of cigarettes, and made me a chain to go around the tree. I was just thrilled. In fact.. no.. I was in awe of her amazing talent to make something out of nothing.. it was just like magic in my 4 or 5 year old mind. She was my hero.. she saved the day.
Year after year, long after we we were back home in Vancouver, Washington, she nagged me senseless at Christmas time to get my lazy butt up to the attic to start hauling those millions of hundreds of Christmas decorations from the millions of hundreds of boxes that needed to be unpacked for this special time of year. Oh, I moaned, and groaned and belly ached my way through it all. And every year, up til she just could not do it any more, our house was a festive and fun, and a brightly decorated sight to behold. She continued this tradition for me, and later, for my daughters, her granddaughters, whom she adored and would move heaven and earth for them. She did it because she loved us, and because she cared.
So, in closing, while my heart is heavy with memories of Christmas past.. I will be damned if those ornaments of Dave's, mine, and ornaments my girls made when they were little bitty children are going to sit in a box, and all the beautiful decorations made of crystal and glass that belonged to Dave's grandma are just going to remain in a box and do nothing.. NO! They will have a place in this house, and new memories will be made. Why? Because Tradition is Important. That's why.
Merry Christmas Mom and Dad, and to all of the ones we have loved, and continue to love.. I hope it is festive and bright where ever you are..
Here are our Christmas trees.. it's a work in progress..
As the holiday season is rapidly approaching, I want to take a moment to honor, and to grieve the senseless loss of life which has shocked all of us to our very core. Why, Why, and Why??? we are all asking ourselves this right now. There will be countless analogies, theories, assumptions, but nothing will lessen the pain and the suffering for the families whose lives will never be the same again. In essence, here is a prayer for those who are hurting more than anyone should. 
