It is Christmas Eve and, once again, the Little Bayou House sits quiet. This is one of the downfalls of getting old. Kids have a way of growing up on you and moving far away leaving the house way too empty. On Christmas Eve, the place should be bustling with family and friends. Last minute baking, gift wrapping and stocking hanging activities should rule. Carols being sung, kids dancing with anticipation and happy chattering that once echoed through the halls are now only rattling through the dark nooks and crannies of my brain. Those are memories...happy memories but just memories. Those things should be happening here! They are not. Instead, I am sitting here reminiscing of Christmases Past when all of those things did occur.
The Little Bayou House is decorated somewhat, hundreds of cookies have been baked and a few gifts sit under the tree but even with all of that, the place seems dull. Growing old is not for the weak....Trust me on that. When we are young, we have dreams that our family will always be around...that all holidays will be spent together and, yet, the Little Bayou House sits empty. The only sounds are ticking of the clocks and those ticks seem almost deafening. I am thankful, however, for the company of the Bayou Princess Cat who has snuggled in beside me for the night. Merry Christmas, Ms. Nycto...Santa won't be visiting us tonight but we will be alright. We will be alright. Merry Christmas!
Years ago when Mark's grandmother was still with us, she would lament the fact that her only visitors came on Christmas and Easter. Oh, now and again (but rarely), someone would stop in to see her but they never sat down and visited for long. It was more of a hit and miss thing. I am sure she heard all of the usual excuses that we all give. "I am too busy with work." "The kids are running me ragged." "I have errands to run." etc. I had it easy. Since Mark insisted that I not work outside the home, I had time to be home with the kids and go visit our elderly relatives. To me, it was a pleasure. The kids loved going with me and they brought smiles to the old folks' faces. There is nothing like a child to brighten the day of those not able to get around as much as they did in the past. Still, my visits did not make up for the emptiness of Momie's day. She longed for visitors that never came. On holidays, she would get up, struggle to dress in her nicest clothes securing the buttons/zippers with arthritic hands, place a few decorations on display and set out what meager sweets she had in hopes that her family and friends would come. Only once were we able to convince her to spend Christmas Eve night and Christmas Day with us. Momie was afraid that she would miss a visitor if she was not at home. She so wished that she could be a part of the happy times that were once a big part of her life. Shame on us all for neglecting those who need us. We tried but it was just not enough. I would give anything to go back and make amends for not spending the entire holidays with folks like Momie.
How quickly those sands of time slip away from us. Now, it is my turn. Tonight, being Christmas Eve, the Little Bayou House should be bustling with joyous laughter, folks with packages, and last minute preparations for the "Big Day"! It should be filled with the aromas, sounds and sights of Christmas. Sure, the Little Bayou House is decorated....minimally. Since no one else is here to enjoy the decorations, it was of little use to adorn the place. Yep, there are a few home-baked cookies sitting on a tray in the dining room but nothing like the dozens of trays from years past. There are few packages under the tree, stockings hang limp (no Santa will visit tonight) and my Christmas Eve meal consisted of crackers, cheese and an apple. I sit listening to the old dog snore and the cat purr while I sip a cup of tea. This is nothing like Christmases past. There will be no pitter patter of little feet coming down the stairs nor any squeals of delight because "Santa came!". The sands of time have come crashing down around me. I am "Momie" wishing things could be different.
Before you get the idea that all is gloom and doom on the Bayou, I beg to tell you...it is not. I refuse to wallow in self pity. The tree is lit, carols are softly playing and I am perfectly content with my memories and with the fact that next Christmas most of the family will be home. Then...the lights will blink a bit brighter and the carols will be sung louder. Things will be merry and bright. These were all just thoughts as I sit here this Christmas Eve night. Until then...Merry Christmas, folks. May the bliss of Christmas Peace find you and be with you the entire coming year.
Mary Ruth, the older of the grandlittles, carefully planned for Santa's visit. She insisted that her daddy help her make reindeer food and that her mommy choose cookies for Santa's snack. PawPaw helped the little girl pour milk in a tall Santa mug. Once all was prepared, she settled onto her daddy's lap for a reading of "The Night Before Christmas". As soon as the story ended, hugs were given and she scooted upstairs to bed. It is Christmas Eve and she knows that Santa Claus is on his way!
Now the stockings hung from the mantelpiece have been filled beyond bulging and the gifts are piled high beneath the tree. The Little Bayou House has been one busy place today and, yet, somehow, Old Santa found a way of sneaking in to do his work. The cookies and milk have been devoured while the reindeer food has been nibbled. Yep, it is obvious that two little ones will have a wonderful Christmas...and all the older folks will revel in the squeals and giggles that will be the result of Santa's visit.
It is wondrous to watch family traditions being passed down to another generation. With all of the new trappings of the holidays, it is sort of nice to see that a bit of "Old Fashioned" Christmas lives on. Tonight, Santa came. He did his best to make sure that all is happy and bright. Tomorrow, the kiddies will delight in their gifts and the adults will delight in seeing new traditions and old being meld into one. Merry Christmas, Folks!
Sometimes the hubbub of the holidays can catch one off-guard. The stress can become overwhelming and all of the glitz and glitter just adds to that feeling of being smashed to pieces. It is times like those that it is best to back off a bit and simplify things. This is what I did this Christmas. While I am usually one who goes all out for the holidays (any holiday!), I was just not "feeling it" this Christmas. So...I simplified things. I pared the decorations down to a minimum, chopped that gift-giving list down to rock bottom, baked only a small portion of the usual thousands of cookies and just let go of the feeling of obligation that comes with all of the trappings of the season. A mostly unadorned tree stands in the living room with just a few special gifts beneath its softly lighted limbs, a few sprigs of fresh pine and some paper snowflakes grace the windows and the scent of anise cookies wafts from the kitchen. Yep, a nice, simple, down-to-earth Christmas.
I feel relieved to say the least. Not that I am in any sort of "Christmasy Spirit" but at least I am not feeling bombarded with additional chores. Since Son and I are the only ones at home this Eve before Christmas, there is no need for last minute preparations. He is good with whatever comes and I am sitting here with my feet propped up while sipping on a cup of tea. Not bad...not bad at all.
While I admit that next Christmas might see me bedecking the entire house, yard and pier again, it is sort of nice to have had a relaxing holiday season this year. The paring down of all the stress of the holidays does not mean that I do not still love the meaning behind the day! My wish to you may be simple but it is heartfelt. May the Peace, Love and Joy of Christmas be with you, not only for the one day but for each day of the coming year. Merry Christmas, my friends, Merry Christmas.
