Christmas Ramblings

Christmas is coming and the geese are getting fat.
Please put a penny in the poor man's hat.
If you haven't got a penny, then a ha'penny will do.
If you haven't got a ha'penny then God bless you.

My mother sang this little English ditty to me when I was young. To me, it elicits the whole Dickens Christmas Carol story, and every Christmas it pops into my head almost as if Mother were still here to remind me about what's really important.

Christmas is such a big event when we are young. As we grow older, it changes. Life tends to intrude on the "magic" of the season, and we start to shift priorities to make everything fit together. Many of my friends and family had simple Christmases this year. It's really a relief in many ways. While we still have a kid at home, he's a teenager, so it was easy to scale down. We had a pretty tree, we had gifts for him, we had a great dinner. We spent the morning and early afternoon together as a family, and truly enjoyed it. The late afternoon and evening were spent relaxing -- reading, puttering, watching a movie. DS went off to visit friends.

When my parents decided to forgo the big tree and extravagant display I was shocked. How could they ignore the season that way? Now, I am thinking that their little ceramic tree with the LightGlo lights wasn't such a bad idea after all. There are other things that need attention, even over the holidays.

This year, it seems that DH's sister might beat the odds on a diagnosis that is usually a death sentence. Being at the hospital for her surgery, I got to know my 3 adult nephews by marriage, who I had met many times, but never really connected with. They are awesome young men. We got to spend time with another sister who came from far away to be with us for the surgery. We have spoken almost daily to everyone in the family. We connected in a way that I don't wish on younger people, but is meaningful and important. It goes far beyond the obligatory Christmas phone call.

Life has a way of showing us what is important. Christmas makes us a little more open to thinking about these things in a different way. I am grateful to have this miracle, and I am grateful for all the family and friends who have supported us through this, and who are there for us even when the holiday season doesn't demand it.

To each and every one of you special people, Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy, prosperous New Year.