Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Holding On To Christmas

I tried to hold on to Christmas this year, I truly did. As soon as I felt time speeding away from me, I mentally told it to slow down. I savored. I enjoyed. I talked and listened and cooked and ate and cleaned and started over again and laughed til I cried all the while begging and even willing time to slow down. I did not want Christmas to come and go. I just wanted it to stay because when Christmas is here everything but the happy goes away for a few glorious moments and we don't have to worry about anything or miss anyone. We just stay in the Christmas moment which really is the most wonderful time of the year. Even without snow.


I took my time wrapping presents. I carefully and slowly prepared meals and Christmas goodies. I hung the ornaments on the tree with care in slow motion. I thought carefully about each gift and the recipients. I thoughtfully put together a daughter gift that took hours and hours. I forced myself not to wish the days away before the arrival of NashvilleDaughter and DrummerBoy.


I slowed down the opening of the presents as much as they'd let me which really turned out to be not much. I slowed down the eating of the Christmas feast which they didn't argue about much because this is a family who loves to eat. I slowed down the watching of the Christmas movies but they took away the remote. Time marched on and on and on.


I sat and watched the faces of my precious grandbabies. I held them and cuddled them. I laughed at their delightful merriment. I watched them unwrap gifts by pulling one tiny strip of paper at a time without trying to rush them. I watched very young cousins share hugs and kisses. And play hide-and-seek. And I delighted in their amazement.



I barely contained myself at the hilarity of all 4 sisters under our family roof with their SOs. I took picture after picture after picture after picture. I listened to their grown-up stories and shared my own. I watched with pride as they showed how much they love each other and as they doted on their niece/daughter and nephew/son.


No matter how hard I tried, Christmas came and went but not without a few lessons.

A few notes about an empty nest Christmas:

  • When giving a toddler a little kid's tablet (yes, we did this because she has figured out how to get into our phones and between missing a few things and calling people it's just going to be better this way and also yes, we will limit her screen time in a big way and one more yes, I realize she loves it because we're all on our stupid phones way too much but she does need to be tech savvy to compete/survive these days so...the debate continues) please make sure it's already turned on and on the home page because the sounds a toddler makes when she can't have it RIGHT NOW are ear piercing. Toddlers know how to throw conniption fits. As a matter of fact, they may have created the very first one.  



  • When you have all your grown up kiddos and their SOs (minus one who was visiting his fam because who doesn't want to be with family during the holidays and they aren't married anyway so...) under your roof for the holidays, watching them interact together and being truly terrific at being aunts/uncles and mommies/daddies your heart will nearly burst from all the feels so learned to control the teary eyes or use the allergy excuse and have tissue on hand. 


  • No matter how hard you try to hold onto Christmas it will do you like all the other days of the year and pass by at the speed of light or sound, which onen is faster? Anyway, enjoy every single precious moment even though you know it will end because it will leave some of the most wonderful memories behind and you certainly don't want to miss those. 

  • Share the job of photographer. If you're stuck behind the camera the whole time you'll miss too much so take turns passing the camera around and passing it around almost assures you you'll see something later you missed during. Also, at some point just put it down and enjoy watching.
  • If you give your grown up kiddos a sentimental gift, have another box of tissues on hand. 



  • Prepare to be overwhelmed with laughter and love, Y'all. There is just no other way to say it. Oh and don't worry about taking pictures of the food if you forget. That's not the most important thingh even though it is delicious! And you do save yourself from the judgement of people wondering if your whole family is made up of gluttons. 



  • Try as you might, you won't be able to stop Christmas from being over but we can hold that feeling in our hearts and show it in our actions throughout the new year and that, friends, is what Christmas is all about. 
Wishing Y'all love and peace through the new year 
and a happiness that is more than you ever hoped! 



14 comments:

  1. You have such a beautiful family, Pam. And I know what you mean about trying to hold onto Christmas. Next year, after celebrating the four weeks of Advent, I'm going to go with celebrating Christmastide, which actually starts on Christmas Day and goes through January 5! ANYway, it had a been a while since I'd heard the term 'conniption fit,' but it made me laugh because it was very familiar to me in my childhood. LOL Have a wonderful new year, Pam, and I know you'll keep on enjoying the blessings of those two darling grandkids - even if one of them is now on her digital device. LOLOL xo

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    1. Thank you, Judy. I might have to do the same thing. I'm actually thinking of going to Nashville next year. The girls wanted to know what I was going to do if they couldn't make it and I told them I would just take the grandbabies with me. They laughed but I was serious. Ha! Claudia and Ben do all the traveling and I thought it would be nice to go to them for a change. Goodness but Marcy loves her tablet! Until it doesn't go fast enough and then she throws it down. LOL Happy New Year to you and yours! And send snow. :)

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  2. Christmas must end so that we can add it to our memories.

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    1. Of course! And they are fabulous memories, aren't they? I hope you and your family enjoyed the holidays!

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  3. Since I love Christmas so much I also love to hold onto it but in is done and dusted in a blink which is so sad but so natural as well.

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  4. You described the emotion of the holiday so well that I almost needed a box of tissues! What a lovely (no pun intended) family you have! It's no wonder you call them your lovelies! The joy of the little ones is always what makes Christmas magical!!

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    1. I had to have a tissue while writing it. :) I didn't mean to make anyone else tear up, though. Awww, thank you, Terri! We all had such fun. Claudia and Ben left yesterday to go to his parent's mountain place and then home. They fly to LA Sunday to go cheer on the Dawgs at the Rose Bowl! It's hard to see them leave but I do love how those two live life to the fullest. :) Happy New Year!

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  5. I agree with you. I wanted it to last and last and last. We always do one present at a time however we do not have the amount of people you have! Your right, we can't stop Christmas but I must say I enjoyed our day to the fullest. I forgot to take pictures of the food too. Happy New Year to you and your family.

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    1. I always forget about the food pictures! Why is that? LOL We did enjoy our day to the fullest and it was helpful that we had Christmas Eve AND Christmas Day together. It was a good one this year for sure.

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  6. I love the personal gifts most of all. Hub put all his dad's writings (he was quite the poet and letter writer) into bound books for his mom and siblings. It was a bit of a sob fest, but the best kind. I so understand trying to hit the pause button. Impossible, but we try anyway. Happy New Year to you and your family! Looks like you had a wonderful Christmas!

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    1. The books I made the girls turned into a sob fest as well. They still haven't read everything I wrote but they loved the books so I'm glad I made them. Did I mention I teared up while making them? We're such sentimental fools here. LOL Thank you, Joyce! Happy New Year to you and your sweet family!

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  7. Sounds like a wonderful Christmas, Pam and I certainly don't like Christmas to end. We had our blended family get together the week before Christmas and then went to my daughter's for another large gathering on Christmas day. Our grandchildren enjoyed their Santa Sacks and the surprises in each wrapped gift. Like you I take heaps of photos and yes even of the food and I know exactly what you mean about the emotion of love for your family when all gathered together at this special time of year. Thanks for sharing with us at the #BloggingGrandmothersLinkParty and have a very Happy New Year. Maybe you can be like my MIL who leaves her Christmas tree up in the BBQ area year round!!!
    Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond
    https://www.sizzlingtowardssixty.com.au

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    1. Sounds like you had a wonderful Christmas, too! I packed the ornaments and artificial trees up tonight. I was teary eyed during the process. It's just so hard to take it all down. Thank you for hosting the link party. Ha! I thought how great it would be to have a closet to just slide the tree in when Christmas is over and when I get sentimental, I would just slide it out and enjoy it. :)

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Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! It makes me feel connected to everyone even though we may live far apart! Have a wonderful day!

 
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