For me, there's always one moment of pure enjoyment at every family gathering. One you just know you're going to remember for years to come. Those are the moments I like to write about. And of course, this Christmas didn't disappoint. I actually look for them, I know they're coming, so, why not be ready.
Our youngest grandson just turned 4 years old. Everything is exciting to him. He doesn't talk, he yells. Every sentence ends with a loud exclamation point. And I mean everything. When I asked him what he wanted for Christmas this year he yelled (right in my face) Batman footy pajamas!!!
Being the awesomely wonderful overly indulgent grandmother that I am, I went on a quest to find the best of the best in footy PJs. And find them I did. They were winged. That's right-winged. So cute. So awesome. I knew he'd love them.
I was probably more excited then he was at Christmas. I'm like a big kid myself. I love to decorate, cook, entertain, and surprise my grandkids with fun gifts. I couldn't wait for the entire family to be under my roof. We had our traditional prime rib dinner, and then--it was present time. I played Santa this year and one by one the grandkids (7 of them) opened their gifts from aunts, uncles, grandma, and grandpa. I held back the PJs until almost the very end. And then--he opened them. Well, let's just say he put on the best show ever.
Within seconds he had stripped down to his undies yelling, can I wear them? Can I wear them? And was immediately in the process of getting those Batman pajamas on his little body. It was hilarious. The entire room was in shock and laughing. We tried to help him, but he's super independent and was determined to be dressed and flying through the room quickly.
It was awesome. He was so excited. The winged PJs was a huge success. He loved them. He began running through our house imitating Batman. It was great. I took tons of pictures, and I look forward to one day showing them to him. What a memory, I know I'll think about that day for years to come.
And that's what Christmas is all about for me, my grandkids. I love going to church on Christmas Eve, watching their little faces glow in the candlelight. I love coming back to grandma's house and having all our fun foods and snacks. I love watching them peer under the tree, wondering just what grandma bought them this year. It's so much fun. I hope that they remember these times also.
I find that I am already looking forward to next year. I am wondering what our next funny antic will be--who will it be, and what will it be about? I'll have my camera ready. And one day, they'll be looking through grandma's pictures and laughing hard at all the fun times we had and hopefully, they'll be anticipating future family times with their own children. Hopefully, they'll say to their spouses--wait, let's do it like grandma did and carry on the traditions and make memories of their own. Hopefully, they'll have their cameras ready, because you never know--when fun will be just around the corner--in Batman PJs.
Thursday, December 26, 2019
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Reasons I Love Christmas
I'm a little bit of a Christmas nut. Not intentionally, it just happened. I don't remember many truly awesome Christmases growing up, mostly they were non-events in my home. Most were tied to the up and down financial fluctuations of the real estate market and since my parents were realtors, well, you get it. Christmas followed suit. Some good, some bad.
I think when I grew up and got married a switch flipped and I decided that I would make Christmas an experience to last a lifetime. Decorations everywhere, live freshly cut trees--two if there was room, and homemade baked treats galore. I wanted what I had never had. I wanted to experience an entire month of music, food, decorations, and all the typical entrapments. I wanted memories.
After I got married I worked hard to fulfill the dream. And after our children arrived, well, kaboom!
Christmas was awesome. Our kids would wake up on Christmas morning to a tree overflowing with gifts. I'd budget all year to give them the Christmas I'd never really had. One with thought and effort put into it, one with smells of cinnamon rolls and music in the background. One with Christmas Eve church services, grandparents, and excitement. I wanted it all.
Even now, I'm still that way. 45 years of Christmases done my way. I've loved it. Now with 7 grandchildren, Christmas is exciting again. There was a lull there for a while--just a few years. Our kids grew up and flew the nest, leaving my husband and me to fabricate Christmas pretty much for ourselves which then turned into a season of loneliness. It's hard when you do tons of work to create a feeling, a smell, a time of memory-making only to have your children show up for a few hours on Christmas day. For several years it effected me greatly. Sadness would eventually overtake me and I'd want to forget the whole thing. However, over time I realized that I now had a new reality and had to come up with ways to make it fun and exciting again for just my husband and myself. And I did, for a while. I made it happen.
However, that was shortlived--grandkids came along and fun once again ensued. Christmas became awesome once more, even more so. Grandkids can do that. Make everything awesome. And then again, excitement flooded my heart. Decorating, baking, singing, lights, trees, it's for them now. I hope they don't grow up too soon. I need this. I need them. They make Christmas fun again.
I am patiently waiting right now for my daughter and her family to show up. Ok, not so patiently, waiting. They'll be here tomorrow. Not soon enough. We always have so much fun. Shopping, eating, cooking, meeting up with her siblings, and just doing all things associated with the season. It'll be a week of non-stop fun and craziness. Just how I like it.
Maybe that's what I love so much about Christmas. My family. Just having us all in one city, all coming together to eat, laugh, share stories of the past, open gifts, watch the faces of the littles, music in the background, and joy. Pure joy. For me that is. I hope it is for them too. I hope I'm making memories. I hope that in 20, 30, 40 years from now, they'll all sit around sharing stories and remembering the Christmases they had growing up, of then going to Grandma's house, and that feeling of being so loved and knowing that Grandma would have done anything to make their Christmases the best ever. I hope they know that. That I took it upon myself to create those memories for them.
That's why I love Christmas. It's a time of reflection for me. To remember. And a time to express my love without necessarily using words. A time of giving via action. I hope they see that, feel that, know that. I hope they realize that it isn't really Christmas I love. It's them, all of them. Oh, I realize that I can show them and tell them all year long, and I think I do. However, Christmas--that's a whole new ballgame, that's a game-changer. You don't need excuses to shower them with all things love. You can show them, do for them and spend on them like no other time of the year.
Yep, Christmas for me is awesome. And, I know I overdo it. And, I know I spoil the grandkids. And, I know I'm a little too materialistic about it all. But am I going to change any of that? Nope.
Because these are all the reasons that I love Christmas.
I think when I grew up and got married a switch flipped and I decided that I would make Christmas an experience to last a lifetime. Decorations everywhere, live freshly cut trees--two if there was room, and homemade baked treats galore. I wanted what I had never had. I wanted to experience an entire month of music, food, decorations, and all the typical entrapments. I wanted memories.
After I got married I worked hard to fulfill the dream. And after our children arrived, well, kaboom!
Christmas was awesome. Our kids would wake up on Christmas morning to a tree overflowing with gifts. I'd budget all year to give them the Christmas I'd never really had. One with thought and effort put into it, one with smells of cinnamon rolls and music in the background. One with Christmas Eve church services, grandparents, and excitement. I wanted it all.
Even now, I'm still that way. 45 years of Christmases done my way. I've loved it. Now with 7 grandchildren, Christmas is exciting again. There was a lull there for a while--just a few years. Our kids grew up and flew the nest, leaving my husband and me to fabricate Christmas pretty much for ourselves which then turned into a season of loneliness. It's hard when you do tons of work to create a feeling, a smell, a time of memory-making only to have your children show up for a few hours on Christmas day. For several years it effected me greatly. Sadness would eventually overtake me and I'd want to forget the whole thing. However, over time I realized that I now had a new reality and had to come up with ways to make it fun and exciting again for just my husband and myself. And I did, for a while. I made it happen.
However, that was shortlived--grandkids came along and fun once again ensued. Christmas became awesome once more, even more so. Grandkids can do that. Make everything awesome. And then again, excitement flooded my heart. Decorating, baking, singing, lights, trees, it's for them now. I hope they don't grow up too soon. I need this. I need them. They make Christmas fun again.
I am patiently waiting right now for my daughter and her family to show up. Ok, not so patiently, waiting. They'll be here tomorrow. Not soon enough. We always have so much fun. Shopping, eating, cooking, meeting up with her siblings, and just doing all things associated with the season. It'll be a week of non-stop fun and craziness. Just how I like it.
Maybe that's what I love so much about Christmas. My family. Just having us all in one city, all coming together to eat, laugh, share stories of the past, open gifts, watch the faces of the littles, music in the background, and joy. Pure joy. For me that is. I hope it is for them too. I hope I'm making memories. I hope that in 20, 30, 40 years from now, they'll all sit around sharing stories and remembering the Christmases they had growing up, of then going to Grandma's house, and that feeling of being so loved and knowing that Grandma would have done anything to make their Christmases the best ever. I hope they know that. That I took it upon myself to create those memories for them.
That's why I love Christmas. It's a time of reflection for me. To remember. And a time to express my love without necessarily using words. A time of giving via action. I hope they see that, feel that, know that. I hope they realize that it isn't really Christmas I love. It's them, all of them. Oh, I realize that I can show them and tell them all year long, and I think I do. However, Christmas--that's a whole new ballgame, that's a game-changer. You don't need excuses to shower them with all things love. You can show them, do for them and spend on them like no other time of the year.
Yep, Christmas for me is awesome. And, I know I overdo it. And, I know I spoil the grandkids. And, I know I'm a little too materialistic about it all. But am I going to change any of that? Nope.
Because these are all the reasons that I love Christmas.
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