On Christmas
night the six of us children lined up on the staircase ready to go to bed. Some
carried new books or dolls, or trucks and trains. We were always allowed to
take one present to bed with us. Of course, I always took my new book. As happy
as we were to have Christmas, we were absolutely forlorn, at least I was. It
wasn’t as if I was unhappy because I wasn’t. We were saddened that it was all
over. I feel the same way now. Oh, not the presents, but the music, the lights,
the concerts, the planning, the dinners, the celebrations and the pure joy. I
recognized those feelings as a kid. As we stood there on the stairsteps, my dad
stood at the bottom and with one hand in the air, he always said, “It’s almost
Christmas,” and snapped his fingers. I guess that made us feel better as we
clamored off to bed.
“It’s almost
Christmas.” So many years later, those words come back to me on Christmas
night. I came home from Aaron and Rachel’s to a quiet house with a beautiful
tree in my pine-scented house. My dad’s words echoed as I sat down with a hot
cup of tea to think about the season. It was a wonderful Christmas season and
exactly how I wanted to spend it with friends and family. But I feel
differently about his words now. Truthfully, Dad, I don’t want it to be almost
Christmas. I want this very moment, and I want Valentine’s Day and Memorial
Day. I want gardening season, and a lovely birthday in the heat of July. I want
Autumn leaves to fall and spend two months loving Halloween, but mostly I just
want this rainy, soggy almost New Year’s Eve Day.
This is a
different last week of vacation for me. Along with Aaron and Rachel’s family,
we are taking a flight to a special location for a special event. Intrigued? I
thought so. I will chat more about this next week, but for now, let me just say
I do not often get to spend New Year’s Eve with my three sons. We will all be
together this year, and that is so wonderful.
New Year’s Eve
has always been fun for me. As a kid, we could stay up until midnight! For a
child, that alone is magical. At the stroke of midnight we took out the pots
and pans and banged them for all the world to hear. I don’t remember any
parties on New Year’s Eve as a kid. When my own boys were teenagers, they
always had New Year’s Eve parties at the farm. The house was full of young
people. I loved those times. We played cards all night and celebrated Abe’s
birthday.
The past few
years I spent the evening with the Charleston Children. One year, when the
parents were traveling, we all stayed at the beach house and providing each
child with a flashlight we went down to the beach at dusk to look for crabs and
see the last sunset of the year. Some years we just made lava cakes and always
watch the ball drop.
A new year
conjures up thoughts of resolutions. Oh, how many resolutions have we all made
over the years? It is always to lose the last ten pounds. Every year the same.
It is always to eat less chocolate, workout more, write more, be a better
friend, be a better neighbor, be a better person. We all make these long lists.
Some are easy, and we keep them for a day, a week, maybe a month? Others fall
by the wayside before the end of New Year’s Day. (Seriously, I will lose ten
pounds after the holidays!)
It is a time of
reflection, at least it is for me. What were my joys and accomplishments this
year and what do I hope to accomplish this coming year? I, once again, have a
full list…some personal, some professional.
As the year ends,
take some time to think about your own joys for the year. I hope you have a
list of them. Today I will clean my studio, send thank you notes, pay the last
of the December bills and make my final donations for the year.
Even with the
wise words of my dad, let’s remember today is our favorite day.
Happy New Year
to all of you, my lovely readers, from my family to yours.
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