Christmas Eve 2012

I'm remembering Christmas days past and many held memorable moments for me.  Most were wrapped around making Christmas a good time for my family such as the open houses we used to have on Christmas eve.  My little house back home would be filled wall to wall with relatives, the children usually escaping to the rec room in the basement and only appearing to grab food or drink to take back down with them.

We once had a Santa show up who had to practically break big Larry's arm to get him to sit on his lap.  We adults were once regaled by a skit put on by the kids whose characters were the adults.  I always gave a home made gift to all the ladies, some were needlepoint tree ornaments showing the year.  Pictures were taken, of course, and I planned to put them all together in sequence to show how the children grew and the adults aged each year but that's still a project for the future.

Christmas is meaningful in our family, not for the gifts but for the family get-togethers.  In some way, shape or form, the whole family will spend time with each other during December and then separate groups will celebrate their Christmas dinner together.  This is the way we teach the younger generation that family is important.

Since 2000, I've spent my Christmas eve and Christmas day with friends here in the park who have become almost as close as family to me.  You don't have to be blood relations to be considered family.  Tonight I'll spend an hour or two at the clubhouse with over 100 other people listening to Christmas music played and sung by a park couple and yakking with friends.  Will the Christmas spirit still be as strong for me as it was when I was surrounded by family?  Maybe not but it will still be a nice time.

Our Christmas eve experience changes many times over our lifetime and that's not necessarily a bad or good thing.  It's just life.  Would I rather be home with my family at this time?  Yes, but only for a few short hours because then their lives would carry on without me.  Here, we're all travelling in the same direction and will continue to spend many hours together each day from now until April.  That wouldn't happen back home so here I stay and will stay until the day comes when I can't come down anymore.

I've had a lifetime of Christmas eve and Christmas day experiences and I have to say that the Florida experience is a wonderful one I'll always be grateful for.  For one thing, it will be about 75 degrees here today and tomorrow!!