I get sentimental when it comes to Christmas. Normally, the decorating begins the day after Thanksgiving. I put on the holiday music and bring out all of the forgotten ornaments, pulling together a “look” or theme. Nature themed has been my go to style lately. Some other themes have been “The Nutcracker,” “Victorian” and “storybook style”.
” An assortment of natural looking ornaments from my Christmas boxes. The things you see here, each have a story of their own to tell. The acorns and wooden snowflakes my daughter and I picked out together. Snowflakes came from my mom; Home made stick stars. A wooden bunny I bought in Germany, for my grandmother over thirty years ago. After she passed on it was given back to me. Over the years it got dinged up so the ears have been lopped off by children playing with him. Now I laid him in a nest made from a fur antique hat that belonged to my other grandmother! There are handmade pumpkins and antlers my dad gave me.” Pictured below: view original post on Instagram:
The season calls to mind traditions and memories of Christmas’s gone by. When I was a kid, my mom always prepared a special dinner on Christmas Eve. Afterwards my dad read us the Christmas story from the Bible, by the firelight. We had a tradition of opening one gift the night before Christmas.
Christmas day came early. Mom bustled around, getting the meal ready. As she described herself, “running around like a chicken with her head cut off” making everything happen. She gave me the small tasks of making green salad and fruit salad, and setting the table.
As an adult, with my children’s help, our table is set for Christmas. (above 2018)
Dad assisted with putting leaves in the table to make it large enough for company. When we had Christmas at our house, it was usually a smaller group, eight to ten people. My dad kept the fire going, and chatted with the guests, Shortly after mid-morning, the company started to arrive. Mimi and Paw Paw arrived, and sometimes my Uncle Jerry. My parents always wanted to reach out to people who had no other Christmas plans. They always invited Lewis, a rancher in his eighties. He usually spent Christmas with us, and I will never forget his cackling laugh.
Like any children, my brother and I relished opening presents after dinner. Paw Paw was a engineer. So, he always gave us some type of gadget that entailed a demonstration afterward. Mimi, a lady through and through, usually picked something special for me. It was always very feminine and girly, like a magnificent doll, which I adored.
My maternal Grandma’s house was where we spent many of our Christmas Days. I remember helping my Grandma get ready by cleaning, decorating and wrapping presents. She loved having real flowers. At Christmas time, someone often gave her a poinsettia, or an amaryllis, she admired—especially the amaryllis!
On Christmas day, Grandma’s house was filled with aromas of cooking. My Aunts, and she jabbered along in the kitchen while completing the last finishing touches for the meal. The cousins, were a racket, running around in the yard, (and through the house.) The men were in the living room watching football on TV, trying to stay out of the way. Every now and then I’d hear a cheer coming from them or a loud nervous, “WHOA, WHOA WHOA, OOOOOH!!!” or “Foul Ball! Foul Ball!”
This is a very special time of year. Yet, it is often lonely for some who don’t have family or someone close. As we get older, the scene changes, our families change. Children grow up. Our grandparents are no longer around. And Christmas can be difficult. It’s harder to get together when we live hundreds of miles apart. I cherish and appreciate my loved ones near and far. This year, I hope to share comfort even with people I don’t know. Being kind, a sincere smile, and unexpected gift, to make Christmas brighter for someone else.
Do you have any Christmas traditions and memories that you would like to share? I would like it very much if you would share your special memory or family tradition with me.
Merry Christmas!
(If you love visual stories, some of the photos below are linked to my Instagram accounts for easy following!)
Copse and Spinney 
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