Christmas Party

These past 3 Decembers have not exactly been conducive to Christmas celebrations. In 2010, my sweet stepmom was in ICU for several days. In 2011, my Daddy died after being in the hospital for 20 days on December 15th. And, of course, this year, my precious father-in-law passed away December 8th. There has simply been no time, or energy, to get things out of the shed and put them up. 

I am one who loves to decorate for Christmas. My tree is precious to me, decorated with hand crocheted snowflakes from my mother-in-law,  given to me and my husband on our first Christmas together. Old fashioned Santas given to me by my mother shortly before she passed away Christmas of 1990, that survived being in a room that was destroyed by a falling tree after Hurricane Andrew are lovingly placed every year. My tree topper was given to me by one of my dearest friends many years ago. I have a partial Nativity that my mother and I found in a "junk" shop in Jackson and fell in love with. 

So yesterday, I went to a Christmas party for the first time in several years. I had the most marvelous time. My friends Alex and Dylan had decorated beautifully, cooked a wonderful meal with the help of friends bringing in dishes "potluck" style, and had gifts for everyone. I was tired and in a certain amount of physical pain when I arrived, but I soon forgot all that in the company of fun and creative people. Many of these folks are young enough to be my children, but I enjoyed conversing with them more than most people my own age. They still have hope for the future and plans for how they want to get there. 

So even with no tree or decorations, no time to really buy Christmas gifts, and no energy to really "do" Christmas, I felt warm, valued, and loved. A tiny flicker of Christmas Spirit was ignited. And I am going to fan that flame.