Merry Christmas!

We wish you a Merry Christmas...

We wish you a Merry Christmas...

We wish you a Merry Christmas...

and a Happy New Year!

The Face

So, many of you know (and probably many of you don't) that in my family we have a tendency to get 'choked up' during random acts or events --or even commericals. It's so bad that we joked at my wedding that we needed cards that said "I'm having a heart attack, please call 911." to give out in case we really were having a heart attack and people we just so used to seeing that face and dismissing it. We really credit my Dad with having these faces, but I'm just as bad. There's a picture of me walking down the aisle with my Dad and BOTH of us have these chokey faces on. Once he starts, I'm not too far behind. (I would put a picture of that here, but since I don't have a flatbed scanner and my wedding photos are sealed into the album from the photographer, you'll just have to use your imagination.)



This especially happens to me at random times during the Christmas season, so I thought that I'd chronicle them for you and you can see how truly crazy I am... like you needed any more proof.



Top Five Things that make me cry during the Christmas season:

5 - Stupid 'coming home' commericals - you know, the kid that just walks through the door from some far away place and the parents are so overjoyed that they've forgotten he just got released from the psych ward or something.

4- The Christmas parade. Really? Yes. The Christmas parade. Especially when Santa comes down the road.

3- TubaChristmas. This is an event I'll write about later, but every year anyone who plays the tuba or baritone can get together and play Christmas carols. Gets me every year.

2- Toys for Tots. I mean - Marines + Toys + Deserving Kids= Tears.

1- Visiting Santa with the kids - really the first time that I say "Look! It's Santa!" Honestly, anything to do with Santa.



AND... anytime I'm with my Dad and he starts up.

I guess I'll have to go find the heart attack cards to avoid confusion this holiday season.

Memories

So, as I sit wrapping, and wrapping, and wrapping, and wrapping, I think. I usually have the TV on with something mindless I don't have to pay attention to (read: any of the Real Housewives shows) or I watch Holiday Inn (my super favorite Christmas movie). I talk to myself (usually in my head, but sometimes it comes out loud) and I take walks down memory lane.

(My sister has instructed me that I need to put kleenex warnings on my sappy posts. So here's your warning Didi. Grab the tissues now. Here's a photo for you to look at while you wait for DiDi and her tissues.)

Most of the time (and I've pretty much bored anyone who is around me while I wrap with this story) I think about my Murmur. She was my Dad's mom, and an amazing woman. I am the oldest (I know!) grandchild and I am considerably older (7 years --- ok, really 6 years and 360 days) than the next grandchild, so I had a lot of time to make memories with her.

One of my most favorites are during Christmas. I would always help her Christmas shop. We always would go to Stripling and Cox department store and buy for everyone. In one day. I would bring Christmas tapes (yes tapes, I'm old) and one year made a mixed tape for us to listen to. I usually used the KVIL CD that we had because I (thought) I could sing just like them. Then we'd go out to lunch. And depending on how tired she was, we'd wrap presents afterwards. We always bought enough to qualify for free wrapping, but usually they'd be backed up and we'd just get the free boxes. I'd sit on her kitchen floor and spread out the wrapping paper and add ribbons and bows while she wrapped at her table. I'd enjoy an icy cold Coca Cola (she always had them) and we'd chat. We'd laugh and come up with some phrase that would keep reoccurring during our conversations that would make us laugh even harder.

When I got old enough to drive her, I'd be her chauffeur and whisk her around places.

When she got to the point that she was more comfortable in a wheelchair for the long duration, I'd whip the wheelchair out of the back of the car or suburban and lift her in and out of it (she was small) and we'd go for rides. I probably scared her sometimes, and she probably prayed A LOT when we were doing that, but we had fun.

I also warned my mom and sister to be nice to me when it got close to those shopping trips because I had the power to help pick out something very lovely, or something, very... not. :) I used my power for good, not evil...

One time, Jason accompanied me and my sister on said shopping trip. I'm pretty sure we had just gotten married and I still wanted to come down for our annual trip. Since we usually ate at Cheddar's and it was in the same shopping strip (just across the parking lot), I had the idea of my sister pushing Murmur across the parking lot in her wheelchair, since it was so hard for Murmur to get in and out of it. It was the best idea ever! Again, a lot of praying probably went on, but they raced us and I think won! I know that there was running at some point on my sister's part. I took pictures and everything, but that was before digital and I'm not hooked up to the scanner at this computer.

That was the last time that I went with her on her shopping trips. Work got in the way, life happened, illnesses occurred etc. I'll always have those fabulous memories and will make sure to try and make some of those fabulous memories for my Mamu and Bebe. And maybe a mixed tape too....