A Special Christmas Moment
By Margaret Daley
One of the special Christmas moments I look back fondly on
was the one where my parents had an open house every Christmas Eve. Friends and
relatives (children included) visited, laughed, talked and ate at my home. My
mother cooked for days and put out quite a feast for the guests. I especially
loved her homemade eggnog.
I can still remember on those Christmas Eves a fire going in
the fireplace, the Christmas tree, full of decorations, all lit up and snow
falling outside (some years). Every holiday when we put up our tree I love
putting those old ornaments from my childhood on my tree. In fact, my Christmas
tree is full of memories from my childhood, my son’s and places and people I’ve
known. Decorating our tree is a journey into the past for my husband and me.
So when my cats tipped the Christmas tree over, I was not
happy. When I walked into my living room and saw the mess, my mouth dropped
open. I was totally surprised. I'm not sure which one was responsible, but boy
were they curious about all the ornaments on the floor. I had to wait until my
husband came home to right the tree. I was afraid to look at the ones that were
broken--I thought most of them were. When we put it up, half of the ornaments
were on the floor but surprisingly only three of them were broken. I couldn’t'
believe more weren't broken. A lot of the old ones I had from my mother (over
fifty years old) were glass ornaments. Not one of them broke.
So next year I'll be able to put up my tree and remember all
the people and places that the ornaments remind me of. That is a special time
when I decorate the tree.
What is one of your favorite memories of Christmas?
Blurb for Her Holiday Hero (Caring Canines Series) by Margaret Daley:
The Soldier's
Gift
The holidays are right
around the corner, but Captain Jake Tanner is struggling to find Christmas
cheer. Having survived a devastating attack overseas, he has emotional scars
that run deep. When Jake meets beautiful widow Emma Langford, his heart is
unprepared for the feelings she inspires.
Training service dogs
has taught Emma to recognize those in need. She wants to show Jake that a
four-legged companion is the best therapy, but she's afraid that the closer she
gets, the more her own wounds are revealed.
Together, Jake and
Emma will discover it takes a different kind of bravery to open themselves to
love—and to healing.
Caring Canines: Loving and
loyal, these dogs mend hearts.
Posts
Hi Margaret, you brought back a memory. Until dad died we would have things out for open house Christmas Eve. I don't remember it as much but I know how upset mum was the year after he passed away as we did the same thing and no one came. It seemed once Mum was a widow a lot of people stopped coming.
ReplyDeleteI also have our Christmas decorations and was upset when one of the glass ones broke (more so it wasn't the pink one). I love looking at them as I have old and newer ones from travels.
A favourite memory happened the year after dad died. There was another widow who's family we were close to. She knew how hard that first Christmas would be and invited us for lunch with her and her daughter and one married daughter and family. They had there family meal at night when the rest of the family could come. It was so special that we were included and we did that for about 7 years. It was a highlight of the day.
Thanks, Jenny, for sharing your memories.
ReplyDeleteYes, Jenny, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, I'm so glad your mom's ornaments weren't broken! I have a lot of ornaments that my kids made when they were little and in preschool. I love those ornaments!
ReplyDelete