I LOVE the holidays. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, you name it, I love it. This time of year fills me with joy, and excitement, and magic. I love decorating, and I go overboard; I love watching parades (I’m going to the Parade of Lights tonight in Fort Worth!); I love trees; I love Santa; I love the Grinch Who Stole Christmas (NOT the movie!); I love it all. These are photos that make me particularly happy, and put me into the season. Happy Holidays everyone!
Our family has always celebrated Christmas in a big way. Some would say in an excessive manner. But I ask, what is wrong with excess (tempered by reason, of course)? I LOVE buying people gifts, and there is nothing more exciting for me than to watch them open. I love decorating (I usually have 3 Christmas trees along with Hannukkah decorations), I love wrapping, I enjoy giving. Doing a BIG Christmas comes from a lifetime of tradition.
My grandmother’s house was tiny, but at Christmas, the gifts were piled so high they were almost over our heads! Some of the most magical moments of my life were spent in that tiny house at Christmas time…it was crowded with family, smelled heavenly from the almost constant Kentucky cooking, and the Christmas tree was always a marvel to us.
My parents always had a huge Christmas for my brother and I as well, and my brother was constantly sneaking around trying to find all of his gifts before they were wrapped. I wanted to be surprised so I rarely looked. I have always loved the anticipation of Christmas morning! These family traditions mean the world to me, but I never forget that there are those who will receive little, or nothing at all. Our world, so full of wonder and beauty, is also sadly filled with those who are much less fortunate. There are causes everywhere, and many of them are worthy of our consideration. All through the year we must be conscious of those less fortunate, but at Christmas, at Hannukkah, there is simply no question that we must reach out and give to those in need. I cannot bear the thought of a child waking up on Christmas morning without having a present.
Every year we participate in providing for a family. We have chosen the Genesis Women’s Shelter for abused women. The holidays must be so difficult for a traumatized mother and her child(ren)…it is so hard to imagine. Women’s shelters are always in need, but especially during the holidays. In Dallas, we adopt a Genesis Shelter family for the holidays. We provide gifts and necessities for that family, and send food to the North Texas Food Bank. I urge you to do the same, wherever you live. What a wonderful lesson for your children or grandchildren. I used to take my kids shopping and let them choose toys for our “family”. They sometimes came with me to drop the gifts off. Yes, we have an excessive Christmas, but I make sure it is not a selfish Christmas. By giving, we enhance not only the lives of others, but also our own lives. This year, spread good cheer by giving to others! Make it a family activity…you’ll be glad you did! How to do it? See below!
FROM THE GENESISSHELTER.ORG WEBSITE, DALLAS, TX:
ADOPT A FAMILY
Remind a mom and her children that Santa can still find their family this holiday season. Gather your family, co-workers, friends, church group, or book club to adopt a family! You may adopt one or more families. We will provide you with specific wish lists which you fulfill (similar to an Angel Tree). You can specify if you want to shop for a single woman or if you’d like to shop for a certain size family. Please contact Dodie at dhamrick@genesisshelter.org.
It was a truly wonderful holiday. Both of my young adult children were home with their significant others, and best of all, Randy was feeling well! We are grateful that he is here, that we are all here. Our usual Christmas Eve, or Chrismukkah, was smaller than usual, but we still numbered in the 20s, with just 3 families! I am adopted, and I can say with confidence, that blood doesn’t tie a family together, caring about one another does. We are family (Pointer Sisters!). Here are some pics from a truly wonderful Christmas. On January 4 I will venture to the Great Exumas in the Bahamas!
From Parent Magazine, here are 10 children’s charities you have probably never heard of, but they are worthy of your attention and donations!
I am amazed with all of this “Elf on a Shelf” stuff. I’ve had an elf in this house for 25 years! Our elf, though, is Jule Nissan, a twist on a Scandinavian legend. OUR elf is a year round little guy, who is quite the grumpy elf. Jule Nissan does not like Christmas, does not like making toys, does not like other elves, and does not like people. 25 years ago, Jule took a liking to our house and our animals and jumped off Santa’s sleigh to live in our attic. And so the story begins.
Jule Nissan loves animals, but he is not crazy about humans, especially children. He is a trickster, loving to hide things from the humans in the house. Whenever something in the house is lost or cannot be found right away, it is Jule Nissan who hid it or moved it. Such mischief! Jule Nissan makes VERY rare appearances, always where you would least expect to find him (and always where children cannot reach him). His appearance always is followed by a quick disappearance. When my children would come to find me to tell me they saw him…he would be gone! I would see him once in a while as well, but he would disappear before the kids saw him.
Our elf isn’t all naughtiness. He is very, very good with animals, and can calm them down when they are upset or sick. Jule Nissan also takes them treats. He is so much happier in our attic than at the North Pole. Unlike other elves, he is not big on sugar or cookies. Jule Nissan’s favorite thing to eat is Oatmeal. Now, on Christmas Eve, when one leaves cookies and milk for Santa, and carrots for the Reindeer, one can never forget the importance of leaving out oatmeal for Jule Nissan. If not…Jule will be very upset, and open all the gifts, and hide all of Santa’s presents! Wouldn’t that be awful?? So a bowl of oatmeal is left along with the other yummies, just for Jule! Yes, we continue the practice even today. We have friends whose grandchildren spend every Christmas Eve here…and they now place the oatmeal and the other treats.
My children LOVED telling everyone about our elf. They thought it was really neat to have one since none of their friends did. Their friends had never heard of such a thing, an elf loose in the attic! So what is my point? Well, I have always sought to make holidays, ESPECIALLY Christmas, a magical time of the year. I decorate …. actually I basically REdecorate the house. I love magic and mystery and anticipation…Christmas is the time of year when anything can happen. The elf was always so special, so fun to talk about all year. 
Elves have been a theme in my life forever. Our house was always decorated with elves for Christmas. See photo of some of my childhood elves? I still have them, obviously.
So…did I miss out on a great opportunity? It never occurred to me that anyone else would want an elf. Of course, our elf does not report to Santa. Who would have thought that a little tattle tale elf would be so popular? It is a cute idea, but I wonder at the ubiquity of it. Are all of them the same? I haven’t seen the movie…I’ll have to watch it. Maybe I should have written a Christmas book! My story would probably be scary though! Food for thought.
Anyone else have original Christmas customs?
…when the world falls in love, fa la la la la la la la la. It is also the time of year to buy gifts, wrap gifts, decorate trees, and numerous other tasks. After the 25th it is time to UNdecorate. I love Christmas and Hanukkah, and cannot seem to master the idea of a minimalist Christmas. To me, More is More at Christmas time. Every ornament is important because each one is a memory…of a person, a place, an event. How could I possibly not put everything on display?? This year I am running late, though.
Our yearly “Christmukkah Eve” gathering will be a smaller version of itself…Randy is too vulnerable from his lung transplant to be exposed to large numbers of people. But as long as we are with friends and family, everything will be wonderful. With everything going on this year, Mom’s passing, Randy’s shocking illness and recovery…I am quite behind on Christmas. My body is fighting me every step of the way. My back flipped out last week, and I am feeling the consequences of a bit (!!!!) of a weight gain through the months of sitting in a hospital…my husband had a sudden illness and Double Lung Transplant…so UT Southwestern was my home for a while. Prior to that I sat at Baylor Plano with my mom. The truth is though, I have no excuse. I should have worked out and kept up good eating habits instead of eating the creamy soups and bread that everyone kept bringing me. So I have put on a lot of weight. Shit. Pardon the french. (Why do we call curse words French? Anyone know? Actually, French is one of the most beautiful languages on earth…cursing sounds wonderful in French.)
I need to get this weight off. And it is holiday time, which means food…fattening food, sweet food…almost irresistible food. Why can’t I just fast for a couple of weeks? Of course I could. So why don’t I? Where is my willpower? I’m headed on a dive trip in less than a month, and I want to feel like I am walking instead of waddling. Ugh. Can’t wait to put on a bathing suit and wetsuit. Will they even fit? When you can’t get into your fat clothes, you know you are in BIG trouble. Bad pun, I know. I don’t even want to go to yoga class because I feel so uncomfortable in my skin. And yes, I know I should be confident and gentle with myself as I get back to normal life (when is life ever normal?), but I tend to be on the self-critical side.
Of course, I should be wrapping, addressing envelopes, making ribbons, walking on the treadmill and doing yoga. I am just so tired and distracted all the time. And I even hired an “assistant” to help me get all of this done. I haven’t finished shopping yet, and that is completely unlike me. Christmas is the one time of the year when I am actually organized (well, for me). I did just buy James Taylor’s Christmas album. That probably doesn’t count as being productive though.
I ordered a new tree from Frontgate, a gorgeous, big, prelit Noble Fir, and I still don’t have it, which means I still have another tree to decorate! Talk about late. Come to think of it, they have not even called me. Which means I should call them. I can’t find my ruler to measure the envelopes for my Christmas cards…well, “season” cards…meaning I cannot print the envelopes yet. And the 5p.m. alarm on the phone just went off, meaning Randy has to take his medications, and I hear him calling, because I feel pretty sure he has no idea where he left them.
Maybe I just need a good night’s sleep. What a random post! After some sleep, I’m sure I will make sense again. Hopefully. Okay, have to go find pills.
