Memories of Xmas Eve

Xmas Eve in Florida is nice but memories of Xmas Eve from years past are always on my mind.

I remember when my own little girls were young and we had such a hard time financing presents for the occasion. There never seemed to be enough money to buy all we wanted because living on one salary wasn't easy.

I remember the year my children were about 7, 8, and 1 and I woke them up on Xmas morning. Cindy was so excited and came running out yelling, "My boy, my boy!. I think she was talking about Santa but who knows? One of the girls got a doll buggy that year and they had fun pushing their baby sister around in it.

I remember the year I took pictures of the girls as they excitedly tore open their presents. When I had the pictures processed, I noticed how ratty their pyjamas looked and vowed to buy them new pyjamas ever Xmas to be opened on Xmas Eve...thus began a new tradition for us.

I remember the year we hid all their presents under our bed only to discover that Shelley had been snooping. Dennis went up and crawled under the bed and I sent Shelley up to our room for something. When she looked under the bed (as we knew she would), Dennis said hello and Shelley was mad as a wet hen to have been caught.

I really don't remember when we began our tradition of having an open house for the whole family on Xmas Eve but it was a huge success and no-one seemed to mind that our house wasn't huge and crowded in anyway, enjoying catching up with all the relatives. We did that every year until Dennis retired and we began spending our Xmas in Florida.

Everyone seemed to feel at home at my house and that gave me such pleasure. All the work that lead up to Xmas Eve was well worth it as I looked upon the wall to wall people all smiling and laughing.

I remember the year all the kids and cousins put on a skit for us down in the basement rec room. It wasn't long before we realized that the characters the kids were playing were US! They were fabulously funny and somewhere there is a video of that skit but I don't know where.

I remember the first Xmas Eve after Dennis passed away and I wasn't sure how I'd feel being alone that day...but I wasn't. Joyce and Larry came down to Florida to spend it with me and I've always been so grateful to them for their kindness. Of course, all my buddies here in Florida were there, too, to make the holiday a warm one.

Now today is Xmas Eve, 2010 and this is the way I'll spend it. A group of us ladies are invited to Joann's house for tea and goodies this morning. You can bet there will be lots of love and laughter there! Tonight there will be a Christmas service at the clubhouse where some of the residents will put on a skit and then we'll have more goodies. It's the fellowship of friends that matter here.

When I get home, I'll phone my own house back in Canada and hope my children, grandchildren, and great grandchild are there to speak to. I won't be surprised if they're out visiting other relatives, though. If I don't catch them tonight, I'll catch them tomorrow!

It's bittersweet spending Christmas here in Florida while my children spend it at my house in Canada. Would I ever consider flying home to spend it with them? No. But I do miss them.

Merry Christmas!!