Sandwiched
I remember getting lost in thought as I looked around my mother’s house one Christmas Day years ago as my siblings gathered around with our families. I reflected on the fact that Mom was getting older and of course, so were we. Little kids would eventually grow up to be teenagers. Once Mom was gone, we would probably move on to have Christmas in our own homes with our own families.
Of course, the thought made me sad.
Years later, Christmas has indeed changed for us, but thankfully not quite the way I thought it would. Mom is still alive and doing well, but she now lives in an assisted living facility in Noblesville and can’t host the entire family. The Christmas morning trips to Mishawaka are done. I have to say, it’s nice to not have to drive five hours round trip on the holiday!
I decided to start hosting Christmas at my house once we moved Mom down here a couple of years ago and I’m enjoying the new tradition. Christmas Eve is more leisurely and we don’t have to open up presents in a rush now on Christmas morning and leave behind our goodies.
My brother Mark and his wife came over back then along with Mom on Christmas Day, since they all live close by. It’s hard for my sister to come up from Florida for the holiday, so we all enjoyed a catch up phone call with her.
This year Mark and Janie will celebrate Christmas early with various family members and head down to Florida on Christmas Eve. So my holiday will be a simple one spent with my husband, sons and my mom. It’ll be a quiet day but one filled with good food, movies, games and fun.
That quiet will be gone a few days later, however, when my niece Melissa visits Noblesville along with her husband Tim and their six children! This is a new tradition that I absolutely love. There’s something about little kids and Christmas that just warms my heart, even with the chaos it sometimes brings.
The holiday may have changed, and I know it will continue to change. But it will still be good. Maybe someday I’ll be the matriarch hosting the holiday with ours sons and their spouses and grandchildren scattered throughout the house. I look forward to that with a smile.
Yes, Christmas is certainly different, and sometimes it makes me a bit melancholy, especially when I realize I’ll never set foot in the house on West Lawrence Street in Mishawaka again. But the most important and beloved part of that house – Mom – is still with us, and I thank God for that every day.