Real Solutions For Living...Reflections

I remember when I was a kid, Christmas seemed like years away -- and it was only
October! Anticipating the lights, the smells, the candy, and -- oh yes, let's not forget
-- the presents, made the weeks and days drag oh sooooo slow.

I'd watch the TV with rapt attention for the latest and greatest of toy selections. I'd
peruse the Sears catalog with thoughtful consideration of what would be a worthy
choice for my growing wish list. My sisters and I would sneak around the house
looking for Mama's hiding place for this year's presents.

We had a tradition when I was small to bundle up and go to a nearby nursery to see
animated figures and lights. What a treat! My memory is of cold crisp nights, foggy
air coming from our mouths, and fascinating animals and small people moving in
enchanting scenes while holiday music played in the background. It was such a
delight.

Another special treat while we visited this fun wintry land of lights was helping
Mama pick out teeny tiny miniatures and trim for our egg decorating. We had a
tradition of decorating chicken and goose eggs, cleaned out and sterilized of course.
Mama made the best ones. We had fun adding glitter to the interiors, setting up little
scenes inside on cotton, and wrapping trims on the outside. I still have some of those
eggs.

I remember tagging along while Daddy would hold each tree for Mama to view at
different angles until the right tree was chosen. Oh the smell of a real Chrismas tree!
Everyone would pitch in and help decorate the tree after Daddy was done stringing
the lights. We'd play my sister Robin's holiday records and sing along. I remember
we always sat a plate out for Santa, even though we knew he wasn't real.

Christmas morning was my favorite. The excitement ran through all of us as we
quickly got ourselves dressed and ready. We lined up according to ages in the
hallway, youngest in the front of course. Daddy would go in front of us to light the
candles, stoke the fire in the fireplace, and turn the tree lights on.

No sooner would the paper start flying would my Grandma and Grandaddy Darden
arrive to watch us grandkids open presents. By the time we had emptied our
stockings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and MomMom and Grandaddy Jones were arriving
for our Christmas brunch.That was so much fun.

Next was off to Grandma's for presents and a "light" lunch, more cousins, aunts, and
uncles. More visiting, more laughter, more storytelling, more telling of jokes. The
day was wrapped up going to MomMom and Grandaddy Jones' house. This was a
really large gathering, even more food, tons more storytelling and fun. Even though
we tried really hard all day to save room for MomMom's cooking ('cause her cookin'
was the best in all of Isle of Wight county), it was painfully hard to cram in another
bite -- pun intended.

Reflections. I remember Christmas as a time of closeness. Christmas was a time
for traditions. It was a time for special moments, special people,
special fun -- unlike regular fun that happens during the rest of the year.

Christmas, now that I'm an adult, married, have adult children, and have spent the
past 23 years blending two people's backgrounds into one and trying to create our
own traditions for our own family, is very different from my childhood Christmas.
But beyond that, now that I've been an adult for a while, it's not magical or much fun
anymore.

There's a part of me that wants to stomp my foot and say loud and clear "Can't it still
be magical and fun for us adults too?" Just because we're the ones paying for those
presents, having to run all over town trying to find that perfect item before the
stores run out of it, squeezing in time to bake that extra batch of cookies we
promised we'd bring to the party, and we're the ones that bear the burden for
"pulling it off" for our own kids doesn't mean we can't really enjoy it, does it?

Well, if you look at the list -- ahem, the loooooong list -- of things we have, or need,
to do to pull off everything by the 25th, I suppose there's really not much room left
for any magic or fun. That's gotta change.

So this year things are going to be different. This year I want to experience some of
that fun when I was little. I won't be able to spend the holidays with my relatives
and we don't have many traditions established but we do have a few that are
uniquely ours so I choose to relish in those. I'm going to look for ways to stop and
take in the moment. I'm going to play more holiday music. I'm going to stare at the
Christmas tree for no reason but to simply enjoy it.

This year I'm not going to pout about how Christmas just isn't the same any more.
Rather, I'm going to start making Christmas what I want it to be. If that means
starting a new tradition, I'll do it.

So how can you make this Christmas more like the ones you remember? How can it
be more fun for you, peaceful, magical, enjoyable? Think about it. If you want, you
can join me in rebelling against how things have become. I'd love the company!
Here's to a truly merry, magical, fun, and wonderfully enjoyable holiday!