Merry Christmas!
Look at what arrived overnight:
Scout’s happy.
That girl loves snow.
I’m happy because there is no shoveling needed!
Have a wonderful day.
A Visit to Santa
When I was a child, Christmas wouldn’t have been Christmas without a trip to our local department store, Muirhead’s. Those were the days when there could actually be a locally owned department store. The Muirhead family designed the most magical Christmas display, complete with a trip on a train to visit Santa. It looked like we were in an igloo. Oh, it was pure heaven to all of us kids. To this day, I see childhood friends post pictures on Facebook like the ones I’m going to show you now. We all loved our trips to Muirheads. Sadly, by the time my sisters came around, Muirheads had discontinued their Santa Land. That’s why you see only my brother and me in these photos.
Someone looks a little nervous. Dad’s keeping an eye on me.
That’s better.
Handsome Dad. Lovely Mom.
And my dear, beautiful brother. I miss him.
Mom’s holding her glasses. So sweet.
My mom saved all these photos for me and I’m so grateful. I finally found a frame a few years ago that had a mat designed for 4 photos. This is one of my most treasured possessions.
Have a magical Christmas Eve.
A Blue Christmas
Yesterday was raw and windy and the cold seemed to penetrate my bones and heart. All day long, relentless wind, which always leaves me feeling edgy and restless. I watched old episodes of The Big Valley and The Rifleman, which I found strangely comforting.
I’m feeling blue. As the day draws nearer, the realization that Don and I are going to be apart on Christmas has finally hit me. Our Christmases are never elaborate, always simple. We are used to being away from our families on the holidays. My family is spread out all over the country. Don’s is out in California. And, though I missed them all terribly, I knew that I had our Christmas to look forward to. Our little nuclear family.
This year, everything is different. There is a place right in front of me where Riley should be resting. He isn’t here this Christmas. He should be. I miss him so very, very much.
We made this choice, Don and I, because the job opportunity was such a good and rewarding one. And I’ve stayed positive the whole time, becoming the cheerleader I never was in real life, saying ‘yes! you have to do this,’ downplaying the Christmas part of the whole thing. But it’s caught up with me. And I’m blue.
That’s where I am on a Sunday morning.
