One final Christmas post

We don’t stay in one place for long during the holidays. While it may make for a very hectic time, traveling from one family to the other, it is a blessing to have family close enough that we can see everyone. After a full morning we headed south to my Aunt and Uncle’s home on Eagle Lake. They purchased the home a little over 2 years ago and have been working on it steadily since. The home is beautiful and we spent an awesome 4th of July down there this past summer. The home has a beautiful and massive entry hall. The first time Dena told me about the house she mentioned how exciting it would be to have a table that we could all fit around, and how right she was. Dena and Bob have always opened their home up to me, well always, but quite memorably around the holidays. Growing up I couldn’t wait for my Christmas break so I could go and spend a week or two with my cousins in Raymond. I have mentioned before how smells trigger my memories, well, I suppose this is reciprocal because memories can also trick me into thinking I can smell things. Such is the case with Christmas trees. At the Culpepper’s the tree was always freshly cut from somewhere on their (nearby) property and was never a pine/spruce or typical Christmas tree lot variety, but was (my horticultural dimness is exposed here, I am afraid) just a tree. But when I think about Christmas trees, while they possess their own smell, I always think back to searching for Christmas trees in the woods around their home, or walking up the road to the radio tower looking for a tree and worried that we would get caught trespassing, with a pathetic excuse for a saw (some dulled rusted handsaw Catherine and I were sure could do the rick). One Christmas I thought: hey I’ll just climb that tree and saw the top off - epic fail. Catherine stood at the bottom of this tree, which I was able to climb into but unable to get out of, laughing for what seemed like an hour. I had only reached the lowest branch about 6 feet off the ground. I oscillated from being on the edge of tears to nearly falling from the tree because I was laughing so hard. To enhance the embarrassment, Chance and Hunter came walking along and began climbing circles around me. They were dumbfounded by my frozen state. I quite honestly was paralyzed, clutching our little hatchet and praying for the will to move enough to just get down. I don’t think I have climbed a tree since, but am certain that before that I was an avid tree climber. Each year, the search for a perfect tree was an adventure I would look forward to. I hope that Holt, Irene, Mary and Harper Ann can share such adventures together. They are well on their way. As for the smell, when I think about searching for Christmas trees, I can smell the potpourri of woods, damp leaves, lake water, and smoke from a chimney. It is one of the sweetest smells I know. The keynote to those Christmases was always dinner on Christmas night. Mammaw, Beth and Ken et al. Barbara would all come over, and my Mom and Grandmama would be there. On many of these nights I can remember Dena saying how one day she would have a dining room and table big enough for everyone (although at the time Catherine and I were glad to have a “kids” table where we could giggle without rebuke). Well this year her wish came true, as Bob, Stephen and I think John built a regal table. It sat 18 comfortably, and is what I imagine Dena always had in mind, and Catherine and I shared our giggling with everyone.

The meal was wonderful. Last year Dena made goose and it was delicious, but his year she made a German braised venison recipe that was even better. It is always fun for me to tell Jonathan what we are having and experience his skeptical expression. I have always looked forward to our meals, because Dena tries such different menus, and I think Jonathan is now learning to share my anticipation without anxiety. It was fun to watch Bob, John and Stephen in the kitchen giving each other pointers on cooking the deer meat. I walked by the kitchen and caught them all debating a culinary approach and had to swallow a lump in my throat. It hit me that Robert should be there taking part in the debate. Robert was in Afghanistan this year serving in the National Guard, and I am happy to report, is back in the United States safe and sound, but he was missed greatly this Christmas. I am sure we all found ourselves choking back tears this holiday season and wishing that he was there to enhance the memories

Cousins: I am so fortunate that, while I grew up an only child, I never really felt like an only child. I had cousins who filled a sibling void and as I have said before, Catherine is more of a sister to me. It was so nice to be able to share Christmas morning with them. Catherine and I (it is a curse that I cannot sleep late on Christmas morning) were usually the first awake and we would wait for the boys at the top of the stairs, before going down and rummaging through our stockings. There was one Christmas that my mom couldn’t make it down on Christmas eve because of a mild ice storm in North Mississippi, so Christmas morning was postponed 24 hours. The only problem was that no-one told Stephen. Poor Stephen waited and waited and then finally went downstairs to no presents or stockings and to thinking that Christmas wasn’t coming. Poor Stephen. I think it was quite late in the day that someone actually filled him in. I can also remember carrying boxes and bags with my little ponies, American Girl dolls, vintage gowns, clothes, books, and movies up to Catherine’s room and going from playing with the dolls and ponies one year to watching old Audrey Hepburn movies or Rogers and Hammerstein musicals the next (Oh how the boys curse the day we were introduced to musicals), or dressing our dolls up at ten to dressing ourselves up at fifteen. I hope that Holt and Irene (maybe minus the musicals) can for many years share their excitement over their gifts in a similar way. I hope that Mary and Harper Ann will grow close the way Holt and Irene have and that they will steal away with gifts in hand to play make believe games or watch movies like Catherine and I did. Apparently word spread this year, that costumes were the gift du jour because Holt and Irene took part in many costume changes throughout the night. They were a cowboy and cowgirl, super heroes, a football player, Cinderella, an oriental princess, and I’m sure something else that I forgot. Every time I turned around they were wearing something different. As for the other cousins, Harper Ann made it until the start of dinner and couldn’t hold her eyes open any more. Mary on the other hand was a trooper and couldn’t have been sweeter. Now that she is walking she seems so grown up. She is such a sweet girl.

A few notes on gifts, Holt has worn his superman cape to school a few times and to Wednesday night church once too. He has read Family Huddle, Jim Limber Davis, Elmer the Elephant, and Sylvester and the magic pebble enough he has them memorized. He wakes up on most Saturday mornings and wants to put on his football jersey and pants. We have put together puzzles until the edges of the pieces are starting to fray. But, by far, the gift that is used most is the Nerf gun set from Aunt Katy and Uncle Rob. We play guns almost daily and Harper Ann has taken more than a few bullets to the face - a casualty of war. Apparently the set came with a bomb too, and Holt tells me about all the different settings and how we have to hide it and find it because - Uncle John said so. I think John, Chance, Stephen, Jonathan, Hunter and Olivia started the practice on Christmas night. This is just a snapshot of how blessed we were this holiday season and an attempt to say thank you to all our family and friends for the gifts and for sharing Christmas with us, or more so letting us share with you. I know that Jonathan misses his grandfather at Christmas, and I found myself many times daydreaming about Mammaw’s laughter while we were sitting around Bob and Stephen’s table, but isn’t it nice to share Christmas with our families who can share memories of those we miss this time of year and be joyful in our flashbacks. I hope that Holt will retain, at least some - even if they are fuzzy- memories from Christmas this year.

Sweet Sweet Mary

Gandmama has worn that same outfit for 17 years now. She tells me it is her Christmas tradition.

How many times have I seen this snapshot in my life? Grandmama warming her feet by the fire reminiscing. I can only imaging which memories she is basking in from the past 80+ years that her memories were formed.

One last Christmas story, I promise. I told you in another post about how Jonathan and I set up the tent in our living room. Well, the Saturday that we got home after Christmas the tent was still up in the living room. Before we left, Jonathan told Holt that they could have a camp out when we got back. The kid is a sponge and doesn’t forget much, so as soon as we were in the driveway he was talking about how he and daddy were going to camp out. Jonathan was as man of his word, and that night, he and Holt made a pallet in the tent, filled it with pillows and he, Holt and Teddy read books and watched movies until they couldn’t keep their eyes open anymore. Harper Ann and I, on the other hand, slept safe and sound in our own beds. What good sleep and sweet dreams we all had that night, and what lovely memories we made this year. 2010 will have to be mighty special to top 2009.

They were really roughing it, huh?

I have written a lot about memories, but above all else, what I want Holt and Harper Ann to remember about Christmas is ...

Isaiah 7:14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Luke 1:35And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy–the Son of God.

Matthew 1:23“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

Luke 2:9-12And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

Luke 2:13-14And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Micah 5:2“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,though you are small among the clans of Judah,out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel,whose origins are from of old,from ancient times. ”

Isaiah 9:6-7For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.