Memories and Presents

As a matter of principle, Christmas really must include Christmas movies.  Charlie Brown, Rudolph, The original Grinch, the list goes on and on...but White Christmas is something special.  There is something so nostalgic about the 1950's movie with its dresses, and its songs, the train...

I love it! Quintessential Christmas.

But, my favorite part of the movie really has nothing to do with Christmas.  It is the song that is sung a couple of times, both by Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen as well as by Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye: The Sisters Song.  Its silly, but I love it because I can remember singing and dancing to it so many times with my own sisters.  

My gorgeous ballerina

and 

my beautiful sweet baby whose favorite color was the same as mine and favorite animal was a snake.

Isn't it funny, and kind of sad, how we enjoy, but don't really appreciate the time that we have with the people that we love?  I babysat a family of 6 kids a couple of nights ago.  The oldest three are boys and the youngest are girls.  I was there for about 7 hours and the whole time, I couldn't help but keep thinking how recent it was that I was at home hanging out with my 5 younger siblings.

Christmas really always was a huge deal at our house.  We were excited for a month, eating cookies, pumpkin bread and fudge and decorating.  The house would be beautiful with a snow village, lights, and of course our Christmas tree...decorated from the middle up with mom's old glass ornaments and from the middle down with our childish handcrafted additions.  But, there were NEVER any presents under the tree...I never remember literally believe that a man named Santa came down our chimney and delivered the gifts.  But, we new that on Christmas Eve there was not a thing under our tree, not a scrap.  Our annual trip to church for a candle lit service was delicately exquisite, then our annual drive to look at lights in our pajamas usually included at least a little bickering, but mostly awe and amazement.  Coming home, excitement built and no one wanted to go to bed, but to bed we must go, because Christmas couldn't come till the morning.  My mother has since revealed the amount of work she put in every Christmas Eve.  Most of the presents were never wrapped until then, and even if we each only got three, that is three times six, thirty-six presents to wrap!  She also always made sure to stuff our stockings with essentials.  Candy, socks, make-up, whatever little thing would make us happy.    In the morning, Anna and I knew we were not allowed to leave our room till 6 AM, we just didn't know that it was because our poor mother had been up till 3.  Still, we snuck out and peaked at the tree!  Beauty at its finest!  Presents were heaped (36 makes a lot of heaping) and stockings were waiting.  We would usually wake up around 4:30 or 5 and entertain ourselves excitedly until 6 on the dot.  Then we would fly through the house waking the boys and Rache and running to mom and dad's room at the other end of the house.  There was always an excited cuddle involved with 8 people in their full sized bed and excited requests for them to PLEASE get up and start Christmas!

I really don't remember a lot of specific gifts that I got during my early Christmas years.  But I do distinctly remember the excitement and the love.  We loved Christmas.

So, if every story has to have a moral, I suppose this one's is to enjoy what you have when you have it.  Someday I believe I will look back on my life as it is right now with the same fondness and sadness at its passing.  I have beautiful friends and an easy, happy life...I am thankful at this Christmas season.  Thankful for my memories and thankful for the the present.