A simple Five from Jan:
Tell us about five Christmas memories you have.
1) I think my earliest Christmas memory is Christmas Eve, of Bill, Sarah, Nancy and me all wearing pajamas and sitting on the living room floor in front of the Christmas tree. There's a picture of all of us grinning at the camera like monkeys...I was about four, I think. What I remember aside from the picture is Bill giggling with glee, holding his feet and rolling on his back like a hoop, and saying "SandyClaws is coming tonight!"
2) My dining room table. I'm not sure when my mother took ownership of that furniture, but it was before I can remember. It and the chairs were built by my great-grandfather; it's a gorgeous piece and I love it.Today while wrapping some gifts, I realized that this dining table is the only place I remember wrapping gifts throughout my childhood and until I left home...and then it came to live with me about 6 years ago. I imagine my mom continued to use it for that in the interim years. Think of all the years of wrapping that entails...all the gifts bought with love and excitement and anticipation.
3) My younger sister got married in May of 1989, and that year she and her new husband didn't come to our home for Christmas. I can't remember what they did, actually, but I do remember that Nancy's absence left a ragged hole in what had been our family of four. It is natural, it is life, it is what happens...but I remember a sense of loss and confusion on that Christmas morning. (you makin' me cry)...
4) My "best Christmas presents ever"
Josie, 2002
Boudreaux, 2005
These two dogs have introduced me to what it means to love a canine. I can't imagine my life without them. When we went to pick up Josie on Christmas Eve, she was SO tiny. Brandon wanted to hold her (in the backseat) and I let him. He whispered to her all the way home from East Texas where we'd gone to meet the breeder. That night, I put her in a crate by my bed, determined! to crate train that dog from the beginning! Yeah, right. She cried for a few minutes and I brought her into bed with us.
At about 3 am, Brandon came knocking at our door! Ken said, "what do you want?" Brandon said, "It's Christmas!" Ken said, "It's too early! Go back to bed!" Brandon said, "But I want to see the puppy!" Well, so he came and got in bed with us (one of the only times) and all four of us slept together the rest of that night. When he woke up, Ken went poking around in the bed to make sure neither of us had rolled over on the dog...but she was fine!
5) No list of Christmas memories could be complete without Christmas Eve services at church (every, every, every year), and singing in the choir. Once we were in junior high school and beyond, we always went to midnight Masses. Beautiful...darkened sanctuary, and the light spreading from candle to candle as "Silent Night" is sung.
6) Just one more! My mom had a record album called "Organ and Chimes by Robert Rheims" and the record is RED, oh my gosh, it was the coolest thing ever. I loved putting that on my mom's stereo and listening to it...so cool. I need to get it copied to CD or mp3 format because I haven't been able to listen to it in years. You can buy the one pictured below on Etsy, if you would like...
Merry Christmas Past and Present! Veni, veni Emmanuel.
