Christmas is coming
                                The goose is getting fat
                               I'd wish you a Merry Christmas
                                 But I'm just a cat  

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Christmas is usually a joyful time for me, but since Sally passed 2 years ago right at this time, it is a time of mixed emotions. Since everyone has their sorrow to bear during this season, I will focus on more of the happy Christmas memories. When I was growing up, every Christmas eve meant aunts, uncles, and grandma coming over to our house after supper for sweets and treats, lots of merriment, and finally opening of presents. Grandma always made her wonderful homemade fudge. It was so good it would make your taste buds  cry out for more. Uncle Chet would have his coffee and Pall Malls and would soon be snoring in his chair. My mother would make sure everyone was getting adequate refreshments. The rest of us would enjoy watching Christmas programs on tv or conversation about our daily lives. After we opened presents, it was late and everyone went on their way. My brother and I would be sent to bed, where we tried to get some sleep before Santa came.  My parents became more and more creative hiding our presents before Christmas. When we were younger, the top of the closet was adequate. But the trunk of the car worked, one year they put them under our beds. Another year they hid them in the bottom drawer of the chest of drawers. But the pinnacle of cleverness came when she wrapped our presents early and put them under the tree. I shook and man handled every present that had my name on it, trying to figure out its contents. Most were clothes but the other packages were driving me crazy with anticipation. Finally when it was time to open the presents, my mom announced that she had made a mistake and mislabeled all the presents. So all the boxes I was guessing at the contents were my brother's. Mom 20 me 0.     Christmas day we would head up to Liberty Mo. for Christmas dinner at Aunt Galena's. She was always the most gracious host making everyone feel at home. As tradition went in my family, the women headed into the kitchen and the men watched football. After a wonderful turkey dinner and conversation, the women cleared the table, and the menfolk went back to the football games. It wasn't until after I married a feminist that it occurred to me that this wasn't fair, and we could help with the clean up and kitchen work.  After the turkey sandwich in late afternoon, we would convene in the living room and unwrap more presents, say our good byes and head home. The Christmases of childhood were not just about presents. There was sometimes midnight mass services, driving around looking at the Christmas lights, hundreds of people in the stores, Salvation Army bell ringers, and an sense of happiness in the people  you meet. I was fortunate to have Christmases of childhood innocence, many were not so lucky. My parents did a wonderful job making Christmas special for us.

 

I would like to wish all my brothers and sisters throughout the world a MERRY CHRISTMAS

HAPPY HANUKKAH

HAPPY KWANWAA

SEASONS GREATINGS

 

 

Until next time ………...the Beggar's Apprentice