Christmas Past, Christmas Present, Christmas Future

Christmas Past:  Sitting in the dark, squinting my eyes to see the sparkly lights on the tree...those little blue lights mom would tape on the living room mirror that would always fall and frustrate her to insanity because when one burned out they all did and finding the offending bulb was a real chore...paraffin wax tree mom made and stuck on the lid of a shoe box (I always thought that was so crafty of her)...press cookies...The McGuire Sisters Christmas album on the record player...Santa in an old trailer downtown (the only place in town to see him, cause there was only one Santa Claus)...brown paper bag of treats, including an orange given out at the door of church right before the "big day"...sleepy eyes, rumpled pjs, mom snapping pictures as I walk in on Christmas morn to see the new baby doll Santa left or the new blue bike....Then, what seemed like a blink of the eye, I was watching my own children in their rumpled jammies checking out what Santa left for them (and yes, I had the camera poised to catch those first glimpses)

Christmas Present:  Sitting in the dark still  enjoying the sparkly lights on our tree admiring its' beauty...no more little blue lights that all go out when one no longer burns bright...the paraffin wax tree is long gone and Mom declares she is not a crafty person after all, I still make press cookies on occasion...thanks to my brother-in-law, I now have the McGuire Sisters serenading me on CD and reminding me of my childhood Christmases all those years ago...Santa is all over the place now sitting in lavish displays, no more old trailers...no more brown paper treat bags at church, the church has grown too large and besides those treats wouldn't mean that much now days...no sleepy eyes or rumpled pjs on Christmas Day...hair combed, makeup on I wait for my grown children, their spouses and grandchildren to arrive...now I relish in seeing the twinkle in those little girls eyes as they rip paper and destroy boxes to find what treasure is housed inside.  The joy my husband and I get from taking in this scene is what makes Christmas for us now.

Christmas Future:  Well, I'll continue to enjoy the sparkly lights upon the tree...I'll have helpers with those press cookies, I'm sure.  They seem to be a child's favorite activity....As long as that CD holds out, the McGuire Sisters will always be my fav....Santa, well, I will still "believe" through my grandchildren.  As long as the Good Lord allows, I will continue to enjoy being with my family celebrating old traditions and making new ones.

I hope you all had a wonderful time being with family and friends and that 2012 will be full of blessings for you and yours.