The Look of This Christmas

I remember my mom saying " I never get a cold" while she sniffled, coughed and suffered with a cold. This Christmas I have thought of Mom's words often as I sniffle, cough and lay low recovering from a nasty cold. This Christmas also saw a lovely White family gathering at Chapin and Brianne's house a few days before Christmas, an invite to join the Nickersons for their pre Christmas dinner, a stay at home Christmas Eve and a delicious Christmas dinner at Ronnie and Louisa's home surrounded by their kids and grandkids. This Christmas was brown with just a skim of snow followed by heavy rain.This Christmas was warm and cozy and comfortable while we enjoyed the option of doing not much of anything.This Christmas saw our dear friend Paul in the hospital and Alice spending her Christmas by his side. For so many Christmases we gathered together for breakfast and again for supper and our thoughts were with them praying for answers and improved health. This Christmas also holds the dream and anticipation of Meg, Cody and the girls coming home for Christmas next year. This morning in my early waking hours I searched my minds eye for Christmases of the past. I thought of my childhood homes and where the trees were placed. I remembered my mother's Christmas table, the kid's table in the kitchen with Ken's boys and my kids sitting around it. I remembered our Christmas tables in this house and the several tree locations . I remembered the year the tree fell down on Boxing Day and I quickly untrimmed it and threw it out the front door before company arrived. Yesterday I stood and made moocha cakes, a laborious job I always watched my mother do. My youngest son commented on the lateness of such an effort but really better late than never.I read past Christmas entries from several journals this morning. Christmas Eve travel, Christmas day flights, lost luggage with a decaying turkey, power outages, Christmas Eve church services, small and large crowds around our table, phone calls from loved ones. Oh so many Christmases each one looking special and unique.But each one held the same wonderful things that Christmas 2019 has; family, friends, food, fun, memories and reflection,traditions and new beginnings, dreams and hopes, gratitude and contentment.