Final Thoughts on Christmas Eve
Dec. 24th, 2014 10:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
teddy_radiatorThe family has come and gone - food was lovely, company even better. We set off Chinese wishing lights with everyone's Christmas wish tied to each one, and only one got stuck in a tree and thankfully burned itself out before setting fire to anything. Tomorrow Mom is taking TheHubs™ and me to the cinema to watch Into The Woods. Going to the movies on Christmas Day has become a bit of a tradition for the three of us. I didn't over eat but my stomach feels a little overly rich, if you know what I mean.
It was a very small party tonight - only seven of us, where in the past, there used to be upwards of sixty at times. That was back when all my dad's brothers and sisters were young and wild and it would be crazy. As a child, they all seemed larger than life, noisy and restless and full of vatality and piss and vinegar. They all smoked, and the cigarette smoke would boil out of the house like steam, and after the food had been eaten and the presents opened there would be singing. Gorgeous, lush, full-on, four-part harmony choir singing, and it was beautiful.
Most of the voices are quiet now, either moved away or passed away, and Christmas Eve is so quiet now. But at least I can say that I remember that Golden age, singing with my family, secure in the knowledge that I was part of something special, something that made my family unique in its own way. And the sad thing about it is that we were so secure in our eccentricity that we never tried to capture or preserve it; there are few photos and no video of these Golden Christmas Eves - they exist only in the memory of the few remaining family members. We hardly ever even talk about it now - as if talking about it only brings home how much has been lost.
But I was there. I was most certainly there.
I leave you with a poem I read many, many years ago in a magazine. I don't know the author and I'm not smart enough to find any reference to this poem online, but it's one of my favourites, adn I've never forgotten it. In the meantime, I wish you light snows and twinkling lights, a home alive with cookie smells, a child to play with, a dog to pet, and the hope of unanswered prayers.
All is quiet in the house,
The last, least task is done.
And sleep has descended on all but one.
And she who shined the silver,
And wrapped the gifts with care,
Goes to the open window,
And breathes in the star-kissed air.
Merry Christmas, my dear, dear friends.
It was a very small party tonight - only seven of us, where in the past, there used to be upwards of sixty at times. That was back when all my dad's brothers and sisters were young and wild and it would be crazy. As a child, they all seemed larger than life, noisy and restless and full of vatality and piss and vinegar. They all smoked, and the cigarette smoke would boil out of the house like steam, and after the food had been eaten and the presents opened there would be singing. Gorgeous, lush, full-on, four-part harmony choir singing, and it was beautiful.
Most of the voices are quiet now, either moved away or passed away, and Christmas Eve is so quiet now. But at least I can say that I remember that Golden age, singing with my family, secure in the knowledge that I was part of something special, something that made my family unique in its own way. And the sad thing about it is that we were so secure in our eccentricity that we never tried to capture or preserve it; there are few photos and no video of these Golden Christmas Eves - they exist only in the memory of the few remaining family members. We hardly ever even talk about it now - as if talking about it only brings home how much has been lost.
But I was there. I was most certainly there.
I leave you with a poem I read many, many years ago in a magazine. I don't know the author and I'm not smart enough to find any reference to this poem online, but it's one of my favourites, adn I've never forgotten it. In the meantime, I wish you light snows and twinkling lights, a home alive with cookie smells, a child to play with, a dog to pet, and the hope of unanswered prayers.
All is quiet in the house,
The last, least task is done.
And sleep has descended on all but one.
And she who shined the silver,
And wrapped the gifts with care,
Goes to the open window,
And breathes in the star-kissed air.
Merry Christmas, my dear, dear friends.
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no subject
Date: 2014-12-25 03:47 am (UTC)*hugs*
Happy Christmas Teddy.
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Date: 2014-12-25 04:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-12-25 04:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-12-25 04:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-12-25 04:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-12-25 04:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-12-25 06:32 am (UTC)and your home is so lovely and homey. thanks for sharing all the pics of your decorations. plus the poem is lovely too.
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Date: 2014-12-25 07:26 am (UTC)That is a great poem. Thanks for sharing. Your house looks great. Merry Christmas!
no subject
Date: 2014-12-25 09:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-12-25 12:04 pm (UTC)In any case, have a happy Christmas, darling, and enjoy the movie!
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Date: 2014-12-25 01:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-12-26 04:19 am (UTC)You have shared your memories so beautifully. I hope you've had a wonderful day! Did you like Into the Woods?