Christmas this year was glorious! It’s the reason why I haven’t been online much in the last few days. I’ve been so blessed, because I got what I really wanted for Christmas.
My son and his girlfriend came home early Sunday morning. Even though they made the trip by red-eye from the West Coast, they decided to stay up and drink three pots of coffee and visit with us instead of going to bed. They make a very cute couple, and it’s interesting to see him being so loving and kind with her.
Christmas Eve, we had a rib roast, and on Christmas Eve night, we waited for my daughter and her boyfriend to come back from his house before opening our gifts. There was a lot of silliness and playfulness involved between us all. Christmas Day, I made a turkey dinner with all the accompaniments, and that night we all sat down to dinner; me, my husband, my daughter, her boyfriend, my son and his girlfriend. Later, we gathered in the family room and watched a movie together.
This kind of familial happiness is all I wanted for Christmas. Like a classic Norman Rockwell painting, we all came together and enjoyed one another’s company. In fact, this all I want for any other time of the year.
Last year, Christmas seemed bleak without my son, and the house felt empty and cold. This year, with him home and new faces added to the mix, the house feels alive and more like a home.
Some material things lose their sparkle over time, and some will break and become obsolete. Some things won’t fit after a few years, and some are just hollow representations of friendship and love. There are many things given and taken during Christmas that no one will remember by the time the next Christmas rolls around.
What really lasts are pleasant memories of warm exchanges and loving embraces, of waggish banter and humorous antics. All of us will remember this Christmas long after the garbageman hauls away the empty boxes and crushed paper.
Filed under: family, life, ramblings | Tagged: christmas, family, people |
Pandemonic's Time & Space 
Hey hey hey! Another food connection! We had rib roast on Christmas eve too!
And, yes. That is a perfect Christmas. 🙂
Checking in 🙂 and glad to see you had such a terrific Christmas, Pan! I agree, the getting together is the thing.
I’m very happy for you — and this made me smile, too.
I think this is the best kind of Christmas, too. We had a really good one, much like yours, except the food.
We were together, the four of us, and my son’s girlfriend came for a few hours on Christmas day. The kids had a good time interacting with each other and I enjoyed sitting back and watching when I wasn’t participating.
That’s the best, isn’t it, Corina?
Yes. It truly is the best. It was funny this morning as I read blog posts where people discussed the gifts the got for Christmas because I couldn’t remember what I got. It’s not that I didn’t like or appreciate what I got. It simply was not as important as being with the kids and having them want to be here with me and with each other.
I know they are growing and one day they may not be here for the holidays so I want to enjoy them now. And so I do.
Yes, it’s absolutely the best!
This morning I was reading blog posts in which some of the bloggers wrote about their Christmas gifts. I couldn’t remember mine. It was not because I didn’t like them or appreciate them. It’s just that they didn’t matter. I wanted to be with the kids and I was. I enjoyed it. That’s all I wanted. That’s all that mattered.
I know one day soon they will not be here for every Christmas and I will regret not having enjoyed them while they were here so I will enjoy them now, in the moment. Who cares what things I do or do not get? Things are not important. People are.
I’m glad you had such a nice Christmas Pan. I think I’ll be comparing and contrasting mine later.
What a sweet tribute.
It can be difficult to remember this kind of gathering is why we continue to celebrate when the noise of preparations gets so chaotic.
People tend to forget the true meaning of Christmas. Gifts mean so much less than the people you share the moment with.
True. Our culture is so saturated with the offers of prepackaged flawlessly happy lifestyles that can be purchased, ads that conflate love and money. It’s hard to block out all the noise of the media and nonsense and remember what is important and when you do, it really is a refreshing triumph.
There are years I can look back on as, “the year we sang carols around the piano,” “the year we made it through a blizzard to be with the family,” etc., but I couldn’t tell you what material gifts I got those years. People are much more important.
I’m glad you had such a great Christmas. Because of my schedule we kept it simple this year. It was nice.