I must be getting older, because this Christmas season I”m remembering my childhood Christmas activities with the family and find myself helping my darling bride celebrate more sentimentally. My mom was always the vibrant celebrant of the holiday season, Dad not so much:)
Daily now we light a fire, turn on the lights on the mantel, and listen to the vast array of Christmas carol programming on Youtube. (Anohter advantage of a relatively small domicile is that the sound bar pipes music throughout the house). Much to Sofia’s surprise, I seem to know the words to many of the old classics. So I explain:
One strong memeory was near-blizzard travel from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to visit my dad at the VA Hospital in Tomah, Wisconsin. The “old green ford” was an ancient Ford sedan. Mom fought the snow-covered roads, two kids in the back seat and one riding shotgun; always one of the two terrible twins “banished” to the front seat because of the need for some “behavior modification.” (Just for the record, it was always my brother Rob who needed to be reprimanded….I was always a perfect angel and never fought with him. He ALWAYS fought with me:) To quiet her nerves and some dastardly dialogue, Mom would lovingly lead singing of Christmas Carols and demanding participation. Sister Jane was less than one, and when she started crying, mom would kick into Hark the Herald Angel Sing which seemed to calm the crying. (footnote…Rob, Wendy and Jane, you mave have different memories of these holiday trips, but I’m writing this, so be quiet! 😍)
This year Sofia and I and some good friends, we’re traveling to see friends on another island this Christmas’ Sofia’s family has invited us for traditional Christmas Eve dinners, Christmas lunches dinners, and get-togethers at the many festivities on the island. Musical concerts in the town squares in Angra do Heroismo, Praia da Vitoria, and driving to see holiday lights. I am reminded of traditonal Christmas visits to Grandma’s, playing with cousins, aunts and uncles, snowball fights, and great eats. Grandma’s house was built in a circular floorplan, and I’m certain adults often tired of young kids chasing each other around the fireplace, through the kitchen and dining room. But the sounds were usually the same, a Chistmas tree, carols playing, and the old mantel clock striking the hours. See, I’m smiling right now, remembering these things. There are also some unpleasant memories with all these things, but I’m consciously trying to stay cheerful and happy… ‘Tis the Season!
On the island today the weather today is sunny, and we’repacking for a few days on another island, but first, some other tasks. Working on tightening up some parts on the beast, Sonho II. Then downloading video taken at Sabrina’s wedding this fall, and of course, mowing the grass and splitting some firewood.
So to quote a jolly old elf, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!