The morning is cloudy and cold. We still have a bit of snow on the ground, mostly on lawns, but calling it a white Christmas would be a stretch. The first thing I did when I came downstairs was to turn on the trees and room lights. The house looks festive and Christmassy. I have presents to open, and the dogs are getting a special treat, a large frosted dog biscuit with HoHoHo on the front. I haven’t told them yet. It’s still a surprise.

My favorite Christmas morning was when I was either 11 or 12. My brother and I were up early when it was still dark. Everyone else was asleep. We got dressed and walked to church, to the first mass of Christmas morning. That had nothing to do with devotion. We just wanted to get mass out of the way so we could go back and open our presents. On the walk, no cars were on the road. Some houses were lit. People were awake. In the stillness, we could hear our footsteps. The church was almost empty. It was barely lit. Some ladies were sitting in front of one of the side altars. None of them were together as they sat singly in the pews. We sat behind all of them. The priest came out by himself, no altar boy. The mass was still in Latin. We could barely hear the whispered voices of the ladies as they gave their responses. We also whispered so as not to call attention to us. The mass was quick, no sermon, so we were on the way home quickly, our obligation finished.

One mother knew just the right gifts to give us. I don’t remember ever being disappointed. I remember being surprised. Her stocking stuffers were fabled. When I was a kid, I knew what I’d always find, crayons and a coloring book, small games, new socks and chocolate candy, but there was always the unexpected. I’d take out one present at a time. When I was older, my mother wrapped all the stocking stuffers, and I still took out one present at a time.

I loved my presents from my sisters. I had so much fun opening them. My sisters have inherited my mother’s gift giving gene. One sister found an original Ding Dong School book. They both gave me cloth ornaments, Santa’s belt and Ben Franklin. I got a few old kitchen tools, and so much more. Both sisters gave me gift cards.

Today will be quiet. I have a special Christmas dinner for this afternoon and a couple of new books, one being the new Patricia Cornwell, and I still need to finish the jigsaw puzzle, but I am making progress. One of my friends gave me cookies and peppermint bark, and my sister gave me a box of chocolate and cinnamon lollipops from See’s Candies so I’m set for goodies. I foresee a wonderful day. May your day be filled with wonder, joy and love.

Merry Christmas, my friends.

This entry was posted on December 25, 2024 at 12:02 pm and is filed under Musings. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. Both comments and pings are currently closed.