Sunday, December 21, 2014

Christmas Club

I haven't been playing along. Time and I haven't quite made a truce yet. But today I felt the pull, the urge, the calling... to come out to play... to wax nostalgic... to join in...

At Christmas We... used to go to Elmira every year. The girls would have Christmas at Grandma's house.  They would all dress up in matching Christmas outfits and see Santa (a.k.a. Uncle Frankie... who, by the way, still plays Santa to this day).
 Our last real Christmas at Grandma's house was in 1996.  In 1997 she was already sick and confined to a bed. In 1998 we had our first Christmas at home, just the five of us.

At Christmas We... used to put up the Christmas Tree in the basement. And the girls used to hang all the ornaments. My job was simply opening them up and passing them out.
 Now the Christmas tree is put up in the family room. Same Christmas tree though! Now I hang all the ornaments. They aren't interested any more.  They want it done. They just don't want to do it.

At Christmas They.... used to love each other... pretty much unconditionally.
 Now, one of them is choosing not to speak to another one of them. Perceived hurts and injustices combined with a little unwillingness to forgive makes for a bit of tension in the air.

At Christmas We... used to hang the stockings along the bannister.
 Now we hang them above the fireplace. Same stockings though!

At Christmas They... used to wake up ridiculously early and wait at the top of the stairs for the all clear to come down.
 Now they wake up later and aren't in any rush to see what Santa brought.

At Christmas She... used to get excited about simple little things like slipper socks...


At Christmas We... gather in the family room, around the tree, and open stockings first... then presents. We eat a turkey dinner, watch the parade on television, and eventually go out to see a first run movie. Some things have changed over the years.  Some things have stayed the same.  I haven't caught a decent Christmas photo of my girls in years... hopefully this will be the year to remedy that.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas. Enjoy your family, enjoy your traditions... whatever they are!

11 comments:

debs14 said...

How lovely to see how your traditions have had subtle changes yet stayed the same. It seems as if no matter where we live in the world, we all spend our Christmas mornings in much the same way.
Hope your Christmas is happy!

Maria Ontiveros said...

I've been thinking very much about the ups and downs of Christmas this year. I think that, in the long run, the downs are forgotten and memories of the ups tend to remain.
Hope you make some good memories this year with the girls.
Rinda

scrappyjacky said...

I still have one daughter who despite being in her 20s still loves doing the christmas decorating....in fact she prefers me not to touch the tree as I am not tasteful enough!!
We all still have stockings as well.
Happy Christmas to you all.

Mel said...

Great to see how things have changed but your still all together as a family and observing traditions in a slightly different way. Shame about your daughters- tell them life is too short! X

Sian said...

What a lovely collection of Christmas pictures. I hope the Christmas spirit catches up with the girls very soon and you're able to add some photos of smiling faces to your collection this year too. A Happy Christmas to you all!

Melissa said...

It's amazing how some things change & some remain the same. Hope y'all have a wonderful Christmas!

Carola Bartz said...

Christmas does change over the years in a family. We don't even have a real Christmas tradition since we often travel over Christmas. But somehow it's sad to see how the magic of Christmas disappears bit by bit. I hope you get a beautiful Christmas photo of your girls - it would be so nice, and in years to come they will treasure it. I hope there's not too much tension between them this year.
Wishing you a lovely Christmas!

Jennifer Shaw said...

I loved seeing these photos of your girls through the years. They look to be around the same age as my daughters. Yes Christmas changes as they grow up. I'm looking forward to grandchildren one day to put the fun of little ones back into the equation. ;)

Fiona@Staring at the Sea said...

What a great collection of photos Cheri, thanks for sharing them with us. Funny how some things change and others stay the same. Hope the festive spirit gets your girls talking x

alexa said...

A touching and wonderful piece of storytelling, with the warts and all in it with acceptance and grace. Hoping this Christmas the ice can thaw a little :). Wishing you happy times together.

Missus Wookie said...

Hope Christmas is a time when the hurts can be forgotten and that you get a good photo of your three. Merry Christmas to you and yours Cheri!