Fond Holiday Memories

[fureverywhere]

Many of us have much less fanfare for the holidays then we used to. I sorted ornaments down several years ago. The special ones I kept, a box went to my son, the rest were donated to charity. We still have a tree every year. I have a menorah too. A wreath on the door...a crèche on the bookshelf. But nothing glitzy like when the kids were small.

But ah memories...The first Christmas that pops to mind. I was maybe fourteen. There's a picture somewhere of me and my Mom reading in the middle of discarded wrapping paper. I had gotten a bean bag chair, a clock radio, a big makeup case, and of course a bunch of books. My Mom is sitting on the couch in her bathrobe, I'm happy in my bean chair.

A completely informal moment when we didn't have any care except finding a book mark...

 

[DaveA]

We've been fortunate and our Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday are much the same as when I was a child. Our family split this year (for Thanksgiving) due to the arrival of 2 little great grands during Oct. and this month. Made travel a bit difficult for those families. 20 of us gathered at our home in Mass. and 13 others at our son's home in Conn.

Old fashioned meal with turkey and the fixins', along with pies and cheesecake. It's tougher to get everyone together, now that the grandchildren are marrying and have in-law families to visit. This year we will have our Christmas meal and gift exchange in Conn. on the 18th, the week before the Holiday. Everyone will be able to make it so the whole 30-some will be there. My wife and I will either stay over or one of our kids or grandkids will drive us the 100 miles back to our home as our diminishing eyesight doesn't allow for night time driving. This whole group that I mention are only from our kids, not from other parts of our families.

Sadly, families' today tend to be spread around the country and the world, for that matter. Ours just happened to have stayed in the vicinity with only one grandson and his wife living in Washington state. It has truly been a blessing for my wife and I as we near "the end of the trail".

 

[debodun]

I will always associate my mom's passing with Thanksgiving. It was 10 year ago (2006), Nov 25th - that year it was 2 days past the holiday. I was always glad I went out and got us couple of dinners at the soup kitchen. At least she had a good meal.

One Thanksgiving, about 50 years ago, my maternal Grandmother was invited for dinner. It just happened that there was an ice storm that day. Grandma couldn't enjoy her meal - she kept running to the window to check the weather.

After my dad passed in 1983, my mother's youngest brother always invited us over for Thanksgiving and Christmas. After he passed in 1997, the invitations stopped. I guess my aunt no longer felt the obligation with my uncle gone.