Christmas, Past and Present

It was a good Christmas this year, but a different one. Maybe that's exactly why it was a good Christmas this year--Because it was different.

Last year I bought a brand-spanking new Christmas tree. Why? Well, I've thought about it, and near as I can tell, I was trying to recapture the past. My family has always had a Christmas tree in the house. We weren't religious people at all, and eliminating religion from the whole Christmas picture basically reduces it all down to just a decorations, smells, and music (and presents of course). The tree is where eyes are always focused during a cozy winter evening. It always gave me a warm feeling to sit and gaze at the pretty lights and sparkly decorations, much the same way that people will sit and stare at a campfire for hours on end. The scent of pine (hardly anyone had fake trees back then) would greet you when you entered the house. One of the many things my mom did over the years was candle making. She had lots of molds, and would make several varieties of candles--All scented of course. The scents of the candles would be lovingly intermingled with the real pine Christmas tree, creating a mood, a feeling, an ambiance. Actually, thinking back on it, it's probably a wonder we smelled any of that stuff at all considering my dad was a smoker and everybody smoked in their house back then. Add to the sights and smells the sounds of classic Christmas music wafting from giant console stereo and you had the feeling of the Christmas season. Anyway, I think I was trying to recapture something from that time in my life. I was trying to take the "edge" off the emptiness of my home here. I think I thought that it made me feel somehow less of a pathetic loner living within his bland, rented walls.

Another reason I put up the tree last year was just that a local store had a good quality artificial tree on a super sale and and they came with lights already strung on them. I always hated stringing the lights. The other part of Christmas I hated was shopping for the Christmas tree. I got so disgusted with the prices, the weather, the transporting of the tree... Then when we got home with it and just wanted to relax and mellow out, I had to string the stupid lights on it. I remember how torn I was the year I finally succumbed to Teresa's wish to buy an artificial tree. When I thought about it, trees didn't have anywhere near as much smell in recent years as they did when I was a kid (or was it me?) so it really didn't matter so much. I finally relented and was happy about not having to drive around looking for a tree every year.

The thing that was different this year is that Suzie is part of my life. A very, very big part of my life. Because of her beliefs, she doesn't celebrate Christmas. Partly because of that, and partly because I really didn't spend time in my living room staring at the walls and feeling sorry for myself this year, I didn't put a tree up this year. I didn't miss it in the slightest. Maybe I will some day, maybe not.

So what did I do this year? Well, Suz stayed over on Christmas eve, so right away that was a major change. Waking up next to someone very special was a great way to start the day. I reluctantly left a sleeping Suzie in bed and got myself up at about 6:30. When I went downstairs to get my first cup of coffee, there was a text on my phone from Sarah: "Can you come over soon?" Yes, as usual, I started my Christmas day celebration at Sarah's house. It was one of those years when everything went right gift-wise. Suzie helped me pick out a couple of clothing items for Sarah a few days ago at Kohl's. Sarah loved them both and they both fit perfectly. As a matter of fact, she ended up wearing them both the rest of the day. I also bought her some more of her perfume that she was out of. This time, however, it came with matching lotion in the package, and she liked that. She said the previous one didn't. Her big surprise gift from me though was the Ipod Touch I gave her. Her face lit up big time on that one. I like to get her something that is totally unexpected, and this was one of those things. We both had fun trying to figure it out. Pretty cool toy! Sarah bought me the 5-DVD set of Planet Earth. She was a smart shopper, having found it used on Craigslist a while back. She remembered me saying a long time ago that I would like to own it. Nice work, Sarah! She also gave me a picture (unfinished but off to a good start) that she is drawing of the two of us on a beach. She's doing it on a pretty big canvas, and she's taking it from a small 4x6 print. I think she was about 5 years old in the picture. I've been after her to do artwork for gifts because she is so talented, and I'm finally getting my wish! After they fed me a good breakfast, I went back home. By that time Suzie was up sitting at the computer with her coffee. She left a little while later and headed for home, having a client from her Memory DVD's business she had to meet with a little while later.

The next phase of Christmas was going to my parents' house. I swung by Sarah's and picked her up. The snowy weather had really made a mess of the roads, and we had doubts as to whether or not she'd even be able to get her car out of her driveway successfully, so I offered to take her. I bought my folks a membership to Costco this year, and put each of their membership cards in a plastic CD case. They seemed very happy with it. They both totally love going out to stores and shopping around, and although they are both current members of Sam's Club, they have been interested in going to check out the new Costco that they opened nearby a couple months ago. Although there were already two of them within reasonable distance, the new one is even closer. Most of the family members were there and we all had a good visit. Dinner at mom's was centered around ham like usual, but this time we went the sandwich direction with it. There was a big basket with small dinner rolls for the bread, and baked beans and other things. This part of Christmas was another thing that went well and surprised me: They didn't give me any tools! I don't need or want tools because I have everything I need already. Either they finally listened or they just got lucky, but this time I got two steaks and two cans of mixed nuts. Although one of each would have been ample, I'm glad they got me food. After all, who doesn't like food?

When we left there, I delivered Sarah to her boyfriend's house up on the hill. It was snowing heavily when I left there and headed for Suzie's house, and it snowed all the way there. I wasn't there long though--Suz said we should go back to my place and watch one of my new Planet Earth DVDs. That's exactly what we did. We followed that with a couple games of Sorry (yes, the classic board game) to finish out a good day.