Wishing everyone all the best this holiday season!
As I write this it is just past midnight, so officially Christmas Eve. I know many celebrate on Christmas Eve.
The holiday season is challenging for many, some because of caring for an elder or spouse, others due to estrangement from family, recent or impending death. I hope each and every one can find a few moments of peace.
For my mother this is her first Christmas without my step dad, he died in November. She also has a very good friend in hospital who will not see the new year. He is being kept comfortable in the ICU, where the nurses can keep an eye on him.
We are changing things up. I am bringing our Fondue tradition to her house for Christmas Eve Dinner. We have invited family that we do not usually see over Christmas and plan to start some new Christmas Traditions.
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Tomorrow will be ... quiet. It feels weird to be alone.
When it comes to the Christmas holidays, back when I was younger I never understood why my parents stopped doing all the major decorating they use to do, why they stop buying cards and gifts for each other. Now that I am in my early 70's, I FINALLY understand.
Christmas has slowly become just another day on the calendar, and a day off from work. I do have the candles in the windows which I truly love. But we stopped doing the fresh Christmas tree back when I was too busy helping out my parents. Since my parents had passed, I am at the age where this is a lot of work, and running up and down the basement stairs to the ornament boxes is now too exhausting.
I did give to my sig other's grown daughter and her to two children my Dept 56 Snow Village set. They love it and had it all set up a day after they got home from visiting us. Glad the village has a new home :)
And for the first time in decades, I didn't do a yearly newsletter to include in my holiday cards.
I did enjoy this past week bringing in 12 bags of dry cat food to our Vet as the clinic was having a holiday party while collecting pet food for the County Pet Pantry, so that low income folks can have quality food for their pets :)
And my office building was collecting Toys for Tots, which our office is the sponsor. And this year we got 3 full boxes of toys. Another big holiday smile.
My family celebrates on this Eve and we are gathering now. Tomorrow will be more mellow, with a smaller group. This is a special Christmas for me. I have had so many blessings this year......I am so grateful!
I've been tied up with some work projects, and not around as much as normal. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. I know there is so much suffering too. Prayers for those all of those.
My Niece (Mom's only granddaughter) became pregnant in September so I am trying to picture Mom's spirit on the way to heaven meeting the spirit of the new baby as it made its way to earth to become her Great-grandchild. Maybe Mom got to say "Hello" to this new child and past on some wisdom and love to him/her. (My niece will not know the sex of the baby until next month.)
My Nephew's wife (Mom's only grandson) is having a baby whose due date is in January 2019, but I am hoping that the baby will be born on Mom's Birthday--December 28th.
So our family is going to have to change our Christmas traditions completely and reinvent how we celebrate Christmas.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!