(un)making Christmas

Time to take down the greeting cards
and put them all away
Until the coming
of the next Christmas Day.
Read again the verses,
read again the notes,
store them away,
but remember what they wrote.
The photo cards
move to the fridge.
(Maybe shift that one,
just a smidge!)

The Christmas Santa
that belonged to my Mom
goes back in the wrap
to protect him from harm.
Dragons once more
shall prance and preen
under the branches
of the cherry tree.

Frank's Energizer Bunny
will take its annual rest,
nestled with the Misfits, Elves,
and Rudolph's friends (the best!).
Mama's Christmas photo
(note the orb near her head)
gets swapped back to its box
for the Mother's Day picture instead.

Even this doorhanger -
made for my Granny White -
will find itself stored away
until some December night.
Then all the memories
will be pulled from their boxes
to find new places to shine
(while I wear Christmas socks)!

What about the Christmas tree
which was put up so late?
That, my dear,
will have to wait.
The sunroom is now
closed until spring
when warmer weather's
sweet birds will sing!



My thanks to "Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas", one of my all-time favorites, and especially to Danny Elfman's "Making Christmas" song, for the inspiration for this post.

december family gathering!!!

baby holding time!
(first niece) Christina Woods holds Alyssa Smith
(eldest niece) Christy Parker holds Leila Smith
former-sister-in-law's mom, Bev Lockamy in dining room

below: mom Melanie Smalls puts changing table to first use!

the Parker girls, Christy and my great-niece Caitlyn, take a moment to dine, with John Parker close at hand

below: sis-in-law Mary Smith cuddles Leila and shares the loveseat with Jean and Zaida
Christy sits on the floor with little Lee (the Woods' younger foster son) and Caitlyn is at the knee of her Nana Mary

Christy and John Parker visit in the living room with nephew Michael Smith and Chelsea, while Lee sits and plays

below: Christina and her mom Melinda chat with Molly and her dad John while Bev has a little more dip

(step) niece Chelsea McEwen enjoys her role as Aunt to baby Alyssa

below: John Hester and John Parker share some doodad on their phones

me and the out-of-towners!

That's my Aunt Barbara Narcarti (husband John stayed home sick) with my cousin Bev and her husband Allan Prouty!

the Hester women listen to my outlaw Melinda McEwen in the living room

stepsister Jean and my nieces Molly and Zaida, respectively

above: John H and Allan share a joke in the dining room while Mary admires 'Mama's painting'

my eldest younger brother,
Harvey Smith, Jr.,
between my fsilm Bev in the dining room and cousin-in-law Allan in the living room

above: John Hester and my cousin Bev listen to the Christmas music on the tv

Melinda enjoys a few moments with her daughters Christina and Chelsea and granddaughter Leila

above: Michael relaxes with his younger daughter, Leila, while Jason Woods relaxes after an afternoon of work

Leila and her G'Aunt Tina
(very rare to see me hold a baby!)

almost time for the family gathering!!!

Woohoo!!! The family is coming in two hours!
As I had mentioned earlier, the December Family Gathering is at my house this year! Imagine that!
And I volunteered my house for the gathering!!!
Now, to share a few pictures before things get hectic around here.

How neat and clean the living room is!
And see the lovely snowflakes my dear Melaness gave me for Christmas last year?
Hung with care, they're lending a snowy edge to the entertainment center!
The Energizer Bunny stocking - an inside joke with my stepdad and the family - is also hung up there, off to the right side, so it's the first thing folks see when they enter.
(smile)
Yukon Cornelius, the 'Bomble, and various elves and misfits are out topside, keeping company with the Christmas-past photo of Mama.
And over on the front door? That's a yuletide greeting I latch-hooked as a teen for my Granny White, my Grandpa's mom.
Yes, indeed, lots of Christmases past mingled with the new!

The same is true for the Christmas ornaments on my tree.
The Angel atop the tree dates back to 1981, when I was stationed in Okinawa.
Mama made her for me! Also, the little red ceramic car - on its way over the river and through the wood! - and the gingerbread house and the rocking horse. I had a few more, but I added those to the ones Frank found and gave to me that first Christmas after her death. All were then distributed to my nieces and nephews - her many grandchildren - so all would have something she had crafted.
There are more recent additions to my tree, too! Those were gifts from two of my eldest great-nieces and I've hung the pieces about their eye-level. Watching as they espy them will be fun!
Yes, the tree is in the sunroom this year. It's only been up since Monday, but I rather like it in this new location! I needed for it to not be taking up valuable floor space in the living room, as I am expecting about forty people.
Forty people! In my little 1300 square foot house!

That's why I rearranged the dining set, too, bringing in the two extra chairs from other rooms for an octet.
I'm hoping to provide plenty of places for folks to sit and visit and eat, but also hope they'll mingle.

I'm hoping!
No fear, though - the aromatic configuration remains intact!
(smile!)

What about the guest room?
Well, I have that changing table ready for use!
I've even bought swaddling cloths with little monsters on them and a package of newborn diapers.

Yes, I did!
My nephew Michael, the one whose gone fult-tilt boogie into being a daddy by having twins, will be here and I want to be a true Great-Aunt!

And the plush carpet in that room will be a great place for little ones to play and rest, if the adults are making too much noise.
The loveseat in there will provide more seating, too.
Whew!

That rocking chair I brought home from Panama will provide a nice place for a new mother to nurse, too.
Tucked away in my bedroom, my personal aquarium, it'll be apart from the action, but still in earshot.

That lovely muted fuchsia throw?
Mama crocheted that.
The quilted pillow in the seat?
I fashioned that from clothing I had once made, then gave the pillow to my Grandmama, back when she was traveling so much between my aunt in Tallahassee, us in Savannah, my maternal cousins in Augusta, and her sister in Strong, Arkansas.

What about the bathroom?
Did I forget to gussy it up?
Frayed knot!
(smile!)
Inspired by I know not what, I hung one of my usual wedding-gift towels, and then...
here's the amazing part...
draped over it the two Christmas-themed hand towels my outlaw Kathy had given me a couple of years ago.
Looks good, doesn't it?
Yeah, surprised me, too!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some chip dip to make!

well, i thought i knew what i was going to say

This afternoon, I threw myself out of the house, at what I thought was nearly too late, and ended up on time for most of the previews at the cinema. I had determined that I would go see "Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas" and compare the attitudes there, in these modern times to those Ron Woodruff faced in yesterday's film (during the years between 1985 and 1992). In other words, I wanted to compare how differently society today views a black man who cross dresses to share his philosophy of life with how society reacted toward a white heterosexual man who was diagnosed with HIV in the mid-1980's (only 28 short years ago).
Well, I'm here to say that I've changed my mind.
That sounds like it would be a fine topic for Philo Cafe, on some Monday evening when I might be able to make it to that group again. It would also make for animated discussions in literature courses dealing with sexuality and society mores.
But I'd rather talk about the movie I saw today.
My stepmom and I had loosely planned to go see Madea in her latest flick on the Saturday after Christmas. Concerned that there might be a blue language issue, and knowing her distaste of such, I suggested "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" instead.
That turned out to be a good choice for a couple of reasons.
First, we had the cinema to ourselves. Very nice! Especially as there were projector problems which delayed the movie's start, but that allowed us more time to catch up with our chats.
Second, when the film did finally start, they jumped right to the movie we were there for, with no previews slowing things down. Good! We had slunch plans with my eldest brother and his wife, so we would still be on time to meet with them!
Third, the movie was beautifully shot, though all the scenes of snow and ice eventually had us taking shelter beneath my shawl. Cool! (All puns intended!)
Fourth, the story was excellent, so much so that my stepmom said she was going to search out James Thurber's short story and read it again. Hello, library!
All of which brings me back to today's movie choice. I had putzed around and missed all of the earlier start times of the pricebuster films at the Carmike and Madea's was the last on the cheap seats of the day. That's okay; given the gravity of the film last night, something decidedly light was in order. Then I had the bright idea of the comparison and out the door I went.
And so, now, here we are.
And the reason I continue to write is this: I heard one of my favorite Christmas songs in today's movie. That song? "Mary, Did You Know?" As Christmas songs go, this one is very recent, having been written in 1984. One of the women in my church (Jamie Kelso) sang it beautifully for the Christmas Eve service.
At the tail end of the Tyler Perry movie, that song was featured. Sung in its entirety by a young man I was unfamiliar with, a 12-year-old named Noah Urrea. What a nice surprise!
And that is what my message is: be open to surprises.

yes, Santa Claus, there IS a Virginia

And her last name is Holliday.
How about that?
Tomorrow will be her 90th birthday.
Today, the church honored Miss Virginia with a surprise birthday party. She was unaware that the "Big" Coffee Hour, usually held at on the first Sunday of the month, had been changed on purpose to this date, the day before her birthday. She had even made her specialty - deviled eggs - for the BCH and had poured the drinks for all there, as usual.
She is an amazing woman.
How did the church manage to sneak this over on her? Well, in the monthly newsletter, it was written that "We will not have our “Big” Coffee Hour after the worship service on December 1st, but we will have it two weeks later on December 15th. This will help feed those who will go caroling to our homebound members that day."
Clever, right?
But then how to let the rest of us in on the surpise for Miss Virginia?
Email. She doesn't do computer stuff and nonsense. So the church's head honchos sent an email to those of us who DO play with computers, advising us of the real reason for the change of date. Here's the message: "Okay, everyone...here's the scoop! Sunday's "Big" Coffee Hour isn't just a Big Coffee Hour. Virginia Holiday will be celebrating her 90th birthday on Monday...so the Big Coffee Hour is actually a surprise birthday party for her. Virginia doesn't get email so she will not be getting this church email...so she will not know. So let's keep it a secret - bring your vittles to share with others, and let's celebrate the life of this one who has given so much to Asbury Memorial. We will still go caroling to our homebound members after the party, but we will getting a later start than usual. Hope you can go to the party and caroling!" Very nice!
The church even arranged for her brother (who she had not seen for a couple of years) and his family to join us for this special occasion. How cool is that! She was unaware they were coming until they entered the church for the singing of "Happy Birthday" to her. What a grand surpirse!
Especially for this woman full of love.
Last February marked the 20th year that she has participated in the Love Walk, in support of the projects and works of the Wesley Community Centers of Savannah. Two years ago, she raised $3300 for the mission. I can only imagine the funds she has raised for them during her twenty years of being in the walk.
So, in case you missed it: this is her 20th year of walking for the fundraiser. That means she started doing this when she was 69 years old, in 1993. Amazing. Want to see more? Go here. She's the child-sized smiler in the orange jacket.
Amazing.
She is known as an ElderBury. She has been a member of the church for almost fifty years. (I expect that milestone will be marked sometime in the new year.) She was one of the 25 church members still present when Reverend Billy Hester took the helm in 1993 and steered the church away from the rocky shore of destruction. How did he do it? Well, he built a place where "the Joy of God is expressed creatively". Miss Virginia has been a part of those theatrical productions, adding her voice to both the commercial works ("The Pirates of Penzance", among others) and the "God on Broadway" series each October.
In November, she was part of the Asbury CHEER Team, during the Rock'n'Roll Marathon here. The team members wore costumes from the theatre closet; Virginia chose the traditional clown, the face of Asbury Memorial UMC. Clad in the huge white garment and topped by a purple wig, waving colorful pompons, she was credited with helping the church's team garner $750 for their efforts.
Amazing.
So, Santa, whatever she wants for Christmas, please do give it to her. If anyone is deserving of presents, she is.
Merry Christmas!

the evening of the first day

We visited the Festival of Lights this evening, the final night to do so. When I say "we", I refer to my first niece and her two little ones.
Although this was the second trip for each of us to enjoy the seasonal display, this was a much different experience. I had gone with my bfe, early in the season: December 12th, a chilly, rainy evening. She and the children had gone about a week later, on a very cold, very blustery night, with other family and friends in tow.
This first night of the new year was perfect. Slightly cool, warranting light jackets, but clear and calm. The cruise of our vehicle on the darkened racetrack allowed us ample time to "ooh" and "ahh" and snap photos to aid our memories. How nice to be able to stop along the way and roll down the window without fear of a wintery gust of freezing air or blowing rain!

The infield was best for all of us! No soggy ground, no bone-chilling wind, and the lights were on - yeah! The children could walk at their leisurely pace, drinking in the many sights, and we could as well. Oh, look! Those children are riding a camel! Over there! There's a pony pulling a carriage! And bonfires! Yeah!

First stop: the petting area, of course! No alpaca this time, but the two camels were riding herd on the menagerie of sheep, goats, and a Shetland pony. My niece and I took turns distracting the camels with food, so the children could get in close to the smaller animals for touches and feeding. Fun! I even threw handfuls of food into the enclosure, so the more timid sheep and pygmy goats would have some goodies to forage. The children enjoyed petting the pony, the braver sheep, the warm-horned yak, the many types of goats, and even the huge camels. So many different types of fur and horns!

Then we all washed our hands and made s'mores. That's right: s'mores! The concession stand not only had hot chocolate and warm cider, but the family pack of s'more fixin's. That meant 4 marshmallows and enough graham crackers and chocolate to complete the melty, crunchy goodness. Yum! Oh, and long toasting sticks, too. We taught the children to toast marshmallows, but they didn't really get the concept of s'more-making. That's okay, we all had a good time there by the fire!

Afterward, we went to the tent with the endangered animals. Lions, and tigers, and red-bottomed baboons, oh my! The big cats were sleeping, nestled around each other, but the baboon was alert and pacing, barking out orders on occasion. Fierce!

The parrots were squawking! The lemurs were luring us with their big eyes! And one of the four spider monkeys was entertaining himself, and us, but swinging back and forth on the jungle gym of bars in their cage. I even managed to snap a few photos of him in motion!

I don't know which of the four he was. Peter? Parker? Davy? Jones? Whichever, he was the only one with a waistbelt, so perhaps he is the celebrity who worked with Steve Carrell. Maybe!
We closed down the festival. We were the last to leave, and no one was even trying to hustle us out, they were allowing us to fully enjoy the experience and our company. But the lights of the displays on the racetrack had all been extinguished, save those few bidding us a "good night to all!" as we steered toward the exit... and straight on 'til morning.

"good" Samaritan

'Tis almost Christmas. A young man is driving along on the parkway, near dusk. He's on the straightaway and allows a momentary lapse in his attention to something else: perhaps the phone, the radio, the cd player, who knows. And BOOM! His car has entered the righthanded curve, still going straight, and collided with the metal guardrail along the left side of the roadway.
A couple is riding on that same parkway, on their way to the Christmas party at their church. They see the car that has hit the guardrail and, recognizing the car as belonging to a friend of their son, they pull over into the leftside emergency lane and exit their car, in the fading twilight, to go check on the young man. And BOOM! They are both sideswiped by a vehicle traveling in the left lane of the parkway.
The wife dies from her injuries; the husband spends a long time in the hospital and after, recovering, learning to do simple tasks again, rebuilding his life and family. The young man they had stopped to help was fine and never in danger, but now must live every day with the realization that his friend's mother is dead because she stopped to help him. The stranger driving the vehicle that struck the couple must live every day with the realization that his ordinary day resulted in the death of one human being and maiming of another.
The author of the local newspaper article called the couple "Good Samaritans". Evidently, that author was not familiar with either the origin or the meaning of the phrase. The Samaritans, or "Keepers of the Law" of God, held themselves apart from the other Jews, who they regarded as having altered Judaism. In other words, two different sects of the same religion, both believing they are in the "right" and despising the others for being in the "wrong". According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus told a parable concerning an interaction between a Jew and a Samaritan. The Jew had been brutally beaten and robbed and left on the road to die. A priest and a fellow Jew passed by, but did not stop to help, having concern only for themselves. Then a Samaritan passes by and, asking "if I do not help him, who will?", he stops his travel to give aid to a man who is not only a stranger, but also a man despised as being a Jew. THAT act of giving non-biased aid to a stranger is what made the Samaritan a GOOD Samaritan. To follow in that person's footsteps, one has to give aid to strangers in need, even though one may be biased against their creed or race or gender or sexuality.
It is worth noting that the actions of the good Samaritan had no ill effects on others around him. The good Samaritan aided one who was hurt, but did no harm to others.
The couple in my story were NOT good Samaritans. They KNEW the young man they stopped to aid. They were friendly with the young man, as parents are toward the approved friends of their children. They had stopped that darkening evening to give aid to someone they both knew and respected.
It is unfortunate what happened afterward to the couple. It is more unfortunate what happened to the young man and his friend and the couple's family. It is more unfortunate what happened to the driver of the car which hit the couple, and what happened to that person's family.
A good Samaritan act it was not.

treasure savannah, 3

Yes, that IS a woman with a bare midriff walking a small goat in the Christmas parade at Tybee, on the 4th of December. What a lovely day it was, as is the case more often than not.

gifts

I am so blessed! Today, I received a link to a photo album from my family in San Diego. Wow! I could just HEAR the shredding of paper and shrieks of happiness from their children!!! Christmas is magical for such little children: they go to bed and the next morning, they find presents galore awaiting their eager fingers. Presents they didn't even know they wanted, gifts to delight and overwhelm the senses. The children, ages 6 11/12, 6 1/12, and 3 5/12 (she'd want her 12ths, too!), are still very much believers in Santa Claus, and I hope they continue to be for years. I still believe, most of the time, though life can sure put that faith to the test sometimes. Santa Claus represents the giving side of humanity, the loving side, the wanting to share what one has with those dear to you, to make sure they know they hold your heart. But Santa Claus also represents the forgiving side, the part that allows one to overlook the transgressions during the year in favor of the moment. The side that knows who's been naughty or nice, yet has gifts for all, whether a lump of coal or a sparkling jewel.. or simply a word of forgiveness.