Ho, Ho, Ho

I am just not feeling the holidays his year. I wasn't going to put up a tree or drag out the lights or any of the festive things we all do. It will just be me and love of my life, so why bother?


That pesky friend of mine is up to her shenanigans again! When we returned home from our trip the table was dressed in Thanksgiving with tablecloth and runner, center piece and candle. The store was all decorated, too. She came out this weekend and as she left mentioned that she would come back and decorate if I didn't. She is so pushy, this friend of mine. I felt like crap. I have been coughing and wheezing since I started inhaling the Georgia pine trees last week. Love of my life had to work, so Deb came out and we spent Friday evening putting together a puzzle and singing along with the sounds of the 60's on the radio.


Feeling almost human again on Saturday we went shopping. All the while she is asking if I have enough lights, etc. I didn't dare tell her I had no intention of putting them up.... but I think she must have sensed it. On and on she went talking about what I needed to do and asking if I needed her to help. She is sooooo pushy.


I convinced her that I was going to do all the things we talked about and sent her home. She left and love of my life left for work and suddenly I was all alone. First I had a little pity party and reread my last post and cried some more. Then I watched a little TV, got bored....... felt guilty for saying I would decorate with no intention of doing so..........


There are now 6 wreaths adorning he front pillars of the building and 3 foot lighted Christmas trees flanking the entrance. Numerous old world Santas have appeared among the pictures of my family and snowmen are everywhere. I have tested all the lights and have a list going for what replacement items are needed.


As I drag out all the decor that we seem to accumulate over he years, I am reliving Christmases past. I am, of course, thinking of my children today. I found some sand dollars that had images of the kids on them. We lived on Jekyll Island that year and our neighbor was an artist. She painted sand dollars with scenes of wharfs and fishing boats. She painted the sand dollars for us for Christmas. That was nice, but what she did on Christmas Eve was downright magical.


My son, Bobby was eight that Christmas. Amber was five, Jeff and Jill were three and Adrienne was only six months old. Santa was very much alive in the hearts of all our children that year. Bobby had broken his arm and was still in a cast. He was a klutzy child, never very athletically adept and if I remember correctly, he was attempting to climb a tree. He was disappointed to still have a cast on for the break from school. Knowing this, our neighbor asked us to call her when the children were all asleep.


Finally after much coaxing and shushing, all was quiet in our house except for the rustle of wrapping paper and the grunts and whispered curses of he who assembled the big toys. I let our neighbor in (I cannot remember her name, I can see her face in my mind's eye, but her name eludes me). She had some acrylics and a brush with her and she tip-toed upstairs to the boys room. Since Bobby occupied the top bunk she stood on a chair to be able to reach his cast. She painted an image of Santa Claus on his cast! While he slept! She used acrylics, because they dry fast.


I still remember the look on his face as he showed me his cast the next morning. Utter amazement. He looked at us in wonder and said, "He really did come to our house."


I am very much in the Christmas spirit now as I share this memory with you. Thanks to my nagging friend who spent all her energy making me do this!