Sunday, Dec. 12, 2010

One of my very good friends wrote to me recently that she was at a loss of what to do for Christmas because for the first time in her memory the whole family wasn't going to be together at her mother's house due to people moving far away and marriages.  She asked for my suggestions on starting new traditions.  I didn't want to be glib, I knew she was hurting remembering Christmases past.  So, I told her that my Christmases have changed regularly since I was 12, moving to America, then moving to Florida, then children, then losing my parents, and now sharing my first born son with another family, so it's never quite the same.  Maybe that's the beauty of it. Remember in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" how the Whos stood around and sang and discovered Christmas still came.  So, I suggested for her to do whatever she liked with whomever was around. 

As a child in the Azores and Brazil Christmas was about Midnight Mass, the Nativity Scene, good food and lots of people around.  I didn't associate Christmas with snow or flying reindeer.  After I got married, we'd alternate Christmas in New Bedford, New York and Florida.  But there has been some constants.  There has never been a Christmas without my attending Midnight Mass.  I ask my boys to go with me, that it's my best Christmas present.  When the boys were growing up, we'd go to see a performance of "The Nutcracker" for years, then one year they said they talked it over and didn't want to go.  But a few years ago, they surprised me with tickets and we all went.  We've seen the tree in Rockfeller Center and the Rockettes.  Here in Florida, we've made it a tradition to go and see the decorated homes, the boat parade or other pageants and most of all enjoy each other.  I always have Chris and Anthony hang their baby ornaments on the tree Christmas eve and now it will include a first year together as a married couple for Anthony and Elizabeth.  Christmas really is ever changing and hopefully will find us at peace and enjoying good health.

Merry Christmas.

Being overseas all four Christmas holidays when I was in the Navy I can
relate to these folks in the video about being away for the holidays.

I remember while in Bremerhaven, Germany, where I spent 3 of them, going
into German bars and the only English song on the jukebox was Bing
Crosby's "White Christmas". Sure made everyone homesick. Every time I hear
that song I think of those holidays away from home. It's funny how
different songs can evoke memories. (Sounds like a good topic for this webpage :-) "Hey Jude" has always meant a lot for me, more in the context of
the times than the song, but it does give me goose bumps when I hear it.
Saw Dion do a concert down in Hyannis several years ago and when he sang
"Abraham, Martin and John",  there wasn't a dry eye in the place.

I bet there are a lot of us (Class of 65) who have songs that relate to events in their lives. I remember "We Gotta Get Out of this Place". It was an anthem for Vietnam vets. Funny how we continue to live our lives and "The Beat Goes On"...