it's a wonderful christmas carol home alone

Today has been a hard day for me.

The inguinal hernia made my right leg hurt all... day... long.

From the moment I woke up, the pain simply would not be appeased.

To make matters worse, the pain had me so distracted that I couldn't keep track of how often I was taking the acetaminophen.

I erred on the side of caution, and may well have missed a dose, in favor of the health of my liver.

Sigh.

At least I had my Christmas tree of love to keep me company.

Did I say "tree of love"?

You bet I did.

It's decorated with the cards of Christmas cheer that I've received this year, as well as the one Mama gave me in 1976.

That was the year she gave me the silver watch that Daddy had given to her when she was 18, and that was the year I was 18.

Yes, that is most definitely a tree of love.

I didn't turn on the lights until I returned from the laundry.

Yes, even in pain and hobbling along at a snail's pace, I still went to wash clothes.

Bed linens, too.

I had promised myself a clean bed to wake up in for Christmas Day, with a clean nightgown and clean clothes to wear.

I'd already washed dishes last night.

I'd taken a shower this morning.

The day was warm enough to wear shorts, which allowed me to wash all my long pants and sweaters.

The laundry had to be done!

So, I did it, remaking my bed when I returned home.

I didn't feel up to attending the Christmas Eve service at Asbury, nor did I choose to watch it on fb or youTube.

Instead, I again watched last Thursday's hour of "Ghosts", recorded so I could enjoy it without 'mercials getting in the way.

Titled "It's a Wonderful Christmas Carol", it was exactly what I needed to put me back into the Christmas spirit.

Then I checked the TV schedule for tonight.

"It's A Wonderful Life" was pitted against "Home Alone".

Should I record one and watch the other?

But which to watch?

I decided to watch them both, switching back and forth when a 'mercial break interrupted the story.

That worked out very well, actually.

"Home Alone" was done in two hours, ending just before 'Clarence' jumped off the bridge in "It's A Wonderful Life".

That let me give my whole attention to that movie at the part I liked best.

Perfect.

i thank You, God, and will hope for a less painful day tomorrow.

hark the herald angels sing!

That's just one of the songs we sang tonight!
No, that "we" doesn't refer to the invisible mouse in my pocket.
(smile)
Let me start by saying I attended the Christmas Eve service at my church again this year. As you may recall, I attended the special program last year with my friend, Hai, for the first time ever. He and I joined the throng of carolers afterwards - another first for me - and it was quite a magical evening.
This year, I joined my stepsister Jean and her family at the service. We sat up in the balcony, instead of on the main floor. That definitely gives a different perspective and, oddly, adds a bit of distance, both literally and figuratively, to the proceedings.
Still, when Jamie Kelso sang "Mary Did You Know?", it was the highpoint of the special program. (The video in this link is sung by Kathy Mattea and is good, but Jamie's is so very heartfelt and poetic. She's part of the local oldies-singing trio known as the Girlfriends.)
Afterward, Jean and John and my two nieces headed back home.
I stayed for the caroling!
So did quite a few others, including several of the teen crowd. Nice! Lots of energy from those!
I'm sure you're curious about the songs we sang...
Well, for sure the one in this blog title! Also, "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer", "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", "Joy To The World", "Jingle Bells", "Here Comes Santa Claus", and "Silent Night"! We even threw in "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", one of my favorites, which I led for the first rendition. Woohoo!
The last song of the evening, as it is for each year of caroling, was "I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas". Sung, of course, to Miss Virginia, as she sat on her porch swing. Then, we all piled into her tiny house for hot chocolate, chicken fingers, and cookies, as well as other treats, prior to taking our leave and heading to our own homes.
After all, Santa Claus is coming to town!

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!)

dance at bougival

Dearest Mama,

Last night, as I was preparing to leave the Christmas Eve festivities at the house you and Frank shared, my younger stepsister asked me to stay a bit because she had something she wanted to give me. So I did, finding it an odd request, but willing to keep an open mind.
So, most of the family has gone and I've moved things out to my car. Your first granddaughter and her husband are still there, as is her mother. I'm not sure just who else might have been there at this point. I was going to put the blue casserole dish into my car, but that's when I was called over to the living room and time just seemed to s l o w d o w n. I had walked from the kitchen into the dining room area and saw that there was a blank place on the wall between the dining and living rooms, a place which had held a painting you had loved.
After you died, my stepdad had asked if there was anything of yours which I might want. I immediately replied that I wanted the Renoir print of "Dance at Bougival". With a serious look, he said he liked that painting very much, too, then he told me, "Okay, you can have it when I die." I had smiled and said, "Well, fine, that means I'll never get it! You're gonna outlive all of us!"
Every time I came to see him and we sat there in the living room to chat, I would remind him that I still wanted "the dancers" and he would grin and tell me I would have to wait until he died. "Fine," I would say, "that means I'll never get it and will have to just visit it here." Then we would both laugh and talk of other things.
I truly did think he would outlive all of us. He just seemed to be indomitable, going strong regardless of having had COPD for almost twenty years and neuropathy in his legs for almost as long.
Apparently, I was mistaken and a simple task - doing laundry - led to a fall which led to his death. Honestly, I think I am still in a state of disbelief about that.
Back to the story I was telling you (as if you didn't already know!). So, my stepsister is standing in the living room and I realize, as I look at her, that she is supporting a painting. And I look up at the wall and see the blank spot where YOUR painting should be. And time s l o w s d o w n as I realize what is happening. She tells me that she knows her dad intended me to have this painting, this Renoir beloved by my mother, and she and her siblings want me to have it. And I start crying. I am finally getting the painting I have waited to own since 2001 and all I can truly appreciate is this fact: Frank is dead, he is truly gone, and here we are having a last Christmas Eve family event at his house and he is dead.
I'm going to have to write them a very nice thank-you note for giving me the painting. I'm going to have to get someone to help me hang it in my living room, in a space I've held reserved just for that particular piece of art, in a space where I can admire it often and feel not only your presence but also his.
But now, I'm going to go to bed and sleep and let my tears again flow.
How bittersweet to finally receive this gift.

with much love always...