It's a White and Wonderful Holiday Inn on 34th St Christmas, Carole

It's Christmas Eve. 6:30 pm Mark is snoring lightly on the couch. Miracle on 34th St is on AMC on the TV. The Christmas tree is surrounded by wrapped gifts ~ most of which I made by hand. And yet, I am melancholy. I have some dinner on the stove and just about 5 more photo frame ornaments to cut the pictures for and put together. I will be done with the gifts for this season. Tomorrow morning the kids will all be over to have breakfast and open their stuff. Then? It's over for another year.

It seems like so much build up for one day. One day to celebrate the birth of Christ. That seems to get lost somehow. My grandson has it down though. I have my Nativity scene on the table and he asks me "Grandma, tell me the story of the Baby Jesus." I tell him about Mary and Joseph and the reason they are sleeping in the manger. We have to talk about the shepherd boy and his sheep and cow and donkey.  Then there are the three wise men bearing gifts for the Baby Jesus. And most importantly, about how Christmas is actually the celebration of the birthday of Jesus. I was actually at the Goodwill store the other day looking for something I used in one of my gifts and there was a Nativity set there. I got it for him. He was very careful with the glass parts but broke off the donkey's neck. We glued it back on.

This is Mac's Nativity Set.
Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus.

Me preggers with Em 4 wheelin for a Christmas Tree in Oregon

Tree of Christmas present.

I find myself tonight thinking back to Christmas' past. Kind of like Scrooge but with a much more whimsical view. Times of my childhood with my "Leave it to Beaver" family.Times after I married my husband and had kids. My son running into the bedroom Christmas Day when he was about 3 or 4 with eyes as big as silver dollars telling us "He really DID come! The cookies and milk are all gone and there are PILES of presents under the TREE!!!" What a magical Christmas THAT was! Christmas in places we lived, Washington, Michigan, Montana, here...Cutting down the tree in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and in our own back yard in Montana. Christmas with a big tree, or a small tree, but always a tree





Gifts for the kids from big to small,"store bought" to home made, depending on what that year brought for a budget and yet, always, family and love, sometimes with great loss, but always with the best of memories to draw from. Some Christmas' had snow, some rain, some sunny days. The backdrop for the tree might have been a window with a volcano in the view, or maybe a partially built motorcycle in the living room but we always had room for family and friends to celebrate the season. And we always felt that impending excitement for the year to culminate in this special holiday season and the promises of a new year and what wonder it would bring. ~ I guess that would be the ghosts of Christmas future....

Me and Jesse with a panhead for furniture in 1978

Our kids are grown now. They have plans of their own for Christmas Eve. My son heads over to his in-laws for dinner and family time, my daughter's family hosts an open house for all their friends. It has actually become quite the event for them and grows each year. All the while, Mark and I spend a quiet Christmas Eve at home. It's not really exciting, but there is love here and that's what counts on this most special evening.


And tomorrow morning, the troops invade our peace with hoots and hollers and ripping of wrappings. Ribbons, name tags, empty boxes and gift bags will be strewn aloft the floor and kids will be running from the back room to the front door with whatever they retrieved from the now empty boxes in tow.

We will be on the couch and in the kitchen regaling tales from the night before and cleaning up breakfast dishes and all the remnants of the previously fully festooned gifts from under the tree. A tree, by the way, which is adorned with ornaments from previous years way back to my childhood.

My daughter, son-in-law and (now 3) grandson in 07

The catch to this whole thing is, every year we do this ~ this celebration of tradition ~ we make more memories to think back upon in the years to come -.... We will be thinking of the twinkle in the eyes of our grand kids when they sit on Santa's lap to talk about this year's list. We will be happy to see the joy in their eyes. And take a picture so next year we can remember what a great time we had. And look at the pictures and say, man, did I gain weight this year or what or even better, man, sure am glad I lost that weight, I looked awful! Hah!

Me. my step-mom and my sister a couple of years ago Christmas

I wish all of you one tenth of the wonderful memories I have. For if you have that many, you will never want for more or have time to think of more. I thank my wonderful family and friends for giving us the miles and miles of smiles I have to look back upon.







I WISH EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS. MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS.  May this new year bring you good health, happiness, and prosperity. Thank you for looking in and sharing my memories. You are very special to me and have become part of the chain of great memories.

Happy Trails. Ho Ho Ho.....