about Christmas with my family. Christmases do tend to be a bit bittersweet for me. I always loved them, and I think they were some of our best times together ... but of course, I'm not unconflicted about my family in general, and I'm well aware how much easier it is at the holidays to only have one family to deal with. So a bit of catharsis today:
1. Decorating the tree. My mom never did this one - claimed she was afraid of pine needles - but my dad and I did. We'd pick out the tree together and put on all the ornaments. So many of them had stories. I wish I remembered half of those!
2. Tom and Jerrys! This was my dad's signature Christmas drink. Whiskey and hot milk (mine was - usually - minus the first) with this wonderful sweet creamy nutmeggy foamy topping. I could have eaten just a bowl of the topping. We always had them the night we put up the tree.
3. Sleigh-bells at my Grandma's. Scoff all you want - look for real-world explanations if you must - but I vividly remember two years running waking up in Grandma's bed on Christmas eve (while she and my mom were sleeping on either side of me) and hearing sleigh bells. I can think of real-world explanations, too ... but a small part of me will never be entirely convinced. And wouldn't mind waking up any Christmas eve to that same sound!
4. My mom's vast collection of Christmas records. She had everything. You could play them for a day and never repeat, at least! We loved playing them and singing along.
5. Christmas dinner. (This could be part of a larger category - I just miss the dinners!) My dad was a good cook, and he shone on the meat and gravy category. My mom made good sides and great pies. And then we'd sit around with coffee and whoever was part of the extended family that year and there would be lots of talking.
My job now is to make Christmases for my kids memorable enough that they look back on them later with a similar sense of nostalgia. My pleasure!
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