It has been an odd season for us for at
least two reasons. The biggest, I think, is that we have no children
around any more. Sam is 19 and Warren is 20 and we can't really even
pretend that they are kids any more. So we have missed a lot of the
magic and awe that the holiday season holds with little ones. Both
young men asked for really sensible items that they need for
Christmas, and that's pretty much what they are getting. Bob and I
put up decorations, but fewer than in previous years. There haven't
been any big family outings to shop together, no family nights
clustered around the TV to watch one of the perennial holiday
favorites....nothing like that. Attending the high school alumni
concert was probably the high point of my celebration of the season
so far.
The other factor affecting this
particular observance of the season is that my mother turned 88
earlier this month and was hospitalized on that day. She is at home
recovering now (after a brief relapse that put her back into the
hospital for a few more days) and doesn't fully have her strength
back. While the dampening this has on the holiday is partly obvious,
the less obvious part is that my sister, Patty, is usually a
veritable Christmas elf. She is one of those people who never
outgrew absolutely loving Christmas. She usually has as much fun
with the season as the average 6-year-old. But as my mom's primary
care giver, she had a lot less energy to pour into the buildup to the
celebration. That is a loss to us all.
On the plus side, there are some very
nice things happening that are out of the ordinary, too. Warren's
other family, who are Mormon, are joining us for Christmas Eve Mass
tonight. My brother Don, who lives in Oregon and rarely gets to
Ohio, is here for the holidays, so my mom will get to have all four
of her children with her on Christmas day, which hasn't happened in
decades. Warren will be accompanying us to the Beasley family Christmas, where I think he will feel right at home.
So I'm just enjoying a few minutes of
reflection before we start into the rush. We've decided to have
Warren and Sam open their gifts before any of us go to church
tonight, which is uncharacteristically early for us, but it allows
them to open them together, which sounds like more fun. After that
it is two Masses for Bob and me. (We cantor one and sing with the
choir at the other.) Tomorrow brings Christmas with my family,
Saturday brings Christmas with Bob's. It's all good, just good in a
slightly different way than we've ever experienced before. May the
holidays bring Christmas cheer old and new to us all!
