Posted on 12/25/2015 6:51:39 AM PST by Kaslin
For the first time since I left Washington, D.C., for Colorado four years ago, I am spending Christmas with my three boys, two daughters-in-law and grandchildren -- all nine of them -- under one roof. In the intervening years, it has been a hodgepodge of spending Thanksgiving with one family, Christmas with another, floating from house to house. I missed the joy of spending the day cooking my special dishes in my own kitchen and having everyone gather in the afternoon in a house smelling of cranberries and turkey and wild-rice and sausage stuffing. But this year, we will be back around the same table in a small farmhouse in Fort Valley, Virginia. As lovely as Colorado is, the Virginia countryside beckons when holidays arrive.
But as the day approached, I realized it is not just Christmas dinner that I miss. I miss the fun of buying Christmas presents -- actual presents -- for the kids. Now the grandkids all want gift cards so they can pick their own gifts. But hitting a few keystrokes on my computer just isn't the same as spending time looking for just the right present.
When my boys were young, Christmas shopping entailed days strolling the malls in search of the gifts each boy had on his list. I would take time off from work and head for the malls with my friend Andy. He had no children, but he loved to shop for his nieces and nephews and friends' kids. We'd start in the morning and make a day of it, with a nice celebratory lunch thrown in. I've never been much of a shopper, but with Andy at my side, the day became an adventure.
Inevitably, the latest Nintendo game or car set or new Lego creation would be hard to come by, necessitating our moving rapidly from one store to another, sometimes arriving just as another shopper reached for the last cherished item off the shelf. There was no resorting to the Internet to find what you wanted. But the image in my mind of a disappointed boy on Christmas morning kept me going, even when my feet were aching and my temper was wearing thin. If the toy wasn't available in one store or mall, there was always another one a few steps or a short drive away.
Giving is one of the great pleasures of Christmas. It is the way we show appreciation and love. It is the one day of the year when we both give and receive. And though gift giving is not the only or even the most important part of Christmas, it is surely an essential one. It's about sharing what we have with those who are near and dear.
When my boys were young, I looked forward to getting up early Christmas morning to watch them opening their gifts under the tree. With wrapping paper flying and shrieks of delight filling the room, it was always the happiest moment of the year. I miss those days, more with each passing year.
It's never possible to re-create the past, but this Christmas I am hoping to capture at least a faint glimmer of that old joy. The grandkids will all get their gift cards, but I spent the week shopping, as well. I want Christmas presents under the tree, just little ones -- pocket games, cars, Lego sets, art supplies, jewelry-making kits, things to keep them occupied while I make Christmas dinner.
I'm keeping the cooking simple, cutting out a few dishes that I loved but the kids barely touched, the Waldorf salad and yam and apple casserole. And I stopped at Costco to pick up fancy disposable plates; the farmhouse is 200 years old with a kitchen from the '50s and no dishwasher. We'll have to set up some folding tables to accommodate 16, but with the temperature in the 70s, we may end up using the picnic table outside.
It won't be our old Christmas, but perhaps this year will mark the beginning of a new tradition. We will all be together again, kids playing, parents stuffed and everyone thankful for the love of family.
Very nice sentiments.
What is going on in the photo? And your early Christmases sounds like ours, happy chaos.
Where is Linda’s husband in all this?
Obama's Christmas tree graced by Chairman Mao
12/22/2009
The face of China's Mao Zedong, blamed for the deaths of 50 to 80 million of his countrymen, graces an ornament on the White House Christmas tree for President Obama's first holiday season in residence.
According to BigGovernment.com, the tree also features an ornament adding Obama to Mount Rushmore. ..."
http://www.wnd.com/2009/12/119800/#BegxVTOfQ0v6oZsj.99
__________________________________________________
Michelle hits it out of the park in the ugliest dress contest again. That ugly shapeless thing is the color of pond scum.
Merry Christmas Freepers!
Maybe the author can correct me, but that might be one of the the U.S. military call centers for families talking to their love ones deployed. They sometimes use people to help switch the calls or place them to the right places.
But I could easily be wrong.
:)
_________________________________________
Seasons Greetings...
For Our Liberal Friends:
Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, our best
wishes For an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-
stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter
solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of
the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your
choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or
traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or
secular traditions at all.
We also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and
medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally
accepted calendar year 2016, but not without due respect for the
calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society
have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is
necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in
the Western Hemisphere. And without regard to the race, creed,
color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of
the wishee. By accepting these greetings you are accepting these
terms.
This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely
transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies
no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for
herself or himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law and
is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher.
This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual
application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the
issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and
warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new
wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.
For Our Conservative Friends:
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Believe that is a picture of the control room at NORAD where they are tracking Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Merry Xmas!
Santa tracker volunteers U.S. Navy Petty Officer Brandon Wright, center, and his wife, Petty Officer Emily Wright, left, take phone calls from children asking where Santa is and when he will deliver presents to their homes, inside a phone-in center during the annual NORAD Tracks Santa Operation at the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2014. Once a year, hundreds of volunteers, from generals to people who live near NORAD at Peterson Air Force Base, take calls from children around the world who want to find out where Santa is.
Ouch, you are correct. Feel pretty dumb now, didn’t even think of Santa.
No prob. It’s my job as an AF guy to support the Army guy (though some USAF leaders forget that from time to time).
Have a great Christmas and New Years!
Ouch, double burn. Although I did do 4 years at GFAFB. As long as they do not get rid of the A-10.
The USAF also wears blue fractal "unicam"-type BDU's that are hard to tell from the Navy ones. Hard to tell why USAF guys would want blue ones -- are they planning to hide among clouds?
Its a time saver, the uniforms ensure you don’t have to stop the ship if someone falls overboard.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.