aspenhill's blog: Christmas is Coming!

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, pleased to put a penny in an old man's hat... A sing song rhyme remembered from my earliest childhood days

After a two year hiatus, I am decorating the house for Christmas. Two years ago my dad was in the hospital and rapidly declining. I was also caring for my mom full time as her time was drawing near too. My dad passed away a short two weeks later in early January and my mom passed away less than a month later in February. No Christmas celebrations that year. Last year I just wasn't up for it after the many months of clearing out their house and sprucing it up for selling. Settlement was in early January. So this year has been a year of winding down, taking it easy, and adjusting to a daily life without the obligations that occupied my time for years.

I'm hosting the Christmas Eve celebration with my siblings and I'm trying to wrap up my decorating efforts today. We are picking back up on the tradition of getting together for appetizers on Christmas Eve that we have celebrated our entire adult lives. I think we are all looking forward to it this year.

My mom made a huge deal out of Christmas. Our childhood Christmas's were wonderful. Once we were grown and on our own, she transitioned to the Christmas Eve celebration and those were wonderful too. So many good memories. It seems like every little thing triggers them, and I am feeling the gamut of emotions. Some memories make me feel all warm inside and others make me really sad.

Right now I am listening to Johnny Mathis Christmas songs which my mom played all through our childhood Christmas preparations. I have a lump in my throat and tears are running down my cheeks. About an hour ago though, I was putting new batteries into her flameless candles and reading how to make the timer work. I can see her sitting in her recliner or bending over the coffee table doing the same. I was grinning because she would NEVER throw away the old dead batteries. Why??? Did she think they still had some iota of juice left in them? Or was it just another one of her idiosyncrasies that she had to hang on to everything? She always threw them in with the new batteries too, so it was always a guessing game.

My mom and I had the maximalist approach to Christmas decorating in common. I have so much of my own, but I can't bring myself to get rid of any of hers. I'm using as much of it as I can in with my own decorating this year. It brings a smile when I see duplicates. She gifted me many Christmas items over the years and if she really liked it, she would get the same for herself.

My dad had his traditions too. His were quirky and humorous. He was mostly the one who wrapped the presents. He prided himself on using up every bit of the wrapping paper and often a present was wrapped with really mismatched little leftover pieces - like a crazy quilt. He thought that was great He also had fun with the name tags. I often got presents from "Martha Stewart", "Father Hesburgh" - the long time president of Notre Dame, "the mayor of Lucketts" or the "Lucketts postmaster" - neither one exists. Those are just a few that I can think of off the top of my head. My brother and sisters got presents from similar people. I remember when Julie and Tina were in their late teens and one of the presents that my mom had gotten for them was pretty lacy nightgowns. My dad addressed them from "Cal Ripken" and "Billy Ripken" - two of the Baltimore Orioles favorites and both good looking young men at the time

Christmas 2020 was my last celebration with them. I decorated my house and we were able to get my immobile mother out of her house and down the hill to my house. We were under the craziness of Covid restrictions and my siblings didn't want to venture out, so it was just my mom and dad, Mike, me, Bonnie, and River too. Those restrictions seem so unnecessary now. Just think how many family events were shelved, and so sad when our older generation didn't have much time left. I will always be grateful that we went ahead with that last celebration. Rest in peace mom and dad. Christmas will never be the same

( No account? Join now! )