Christmas is upon us: a season; a special day but yet more than just one day; Christmas rituals; holiday excitement; and for many, Christmas rekindles our strongest memories with family members.
I realize this note may not hit the mark for everyone. Even in the best of family situations there exist unspoken tensions, goals never met, acts or words we wish we could undo. But there needs to be a few days of truce from all of the negative, and with Christmas the joy of a special birth provides that opportunity.
Our lives can be infused with pleasure from the unbounded excitement of young children, something holiday pageants and stories have tried to capture time and again. The lives of young children are pure and innocent and are not yet conflicted. For them excitement, especially at Christmas time, takes center stage as each day they rise only to be themselves once again.
Here on Washington Island we'll host our children, now grown adults, and our young grandsons. While we are excited thinking about each of them being in our home, our attentiveness will center around the youngest.
The top photo shows Kirsten and Hoyt's two boys, Aidan (with screwdriver) and Magnus (pliers), attempting to take apart an old compressor. They've learned "scrapper" habits, that there is value for wire and old metal. It's a good occupier of their time and they pitch in on any project allowed, expecially because it involves using tools. In scrapping, they are encouraged to disconnect or break apart an old tool or appliance. We'll anticipate seeing more of these two boys in the next few days.
Hosting holidays has shifted downward a full generation. In the bottom photo, I join sisters Martha and Helen with Mom, 93. This was a gathering held at Martha's home that lasted a few hours on a Saturday following Thanksgiving. It's not easy getting everyone together, but it's even harder when health and mobility make such an outing difficult for Great Grandmother.
With gatherings including our eldest participants becoming more rare, memories of the olden days are even more special.
For old, young and the many in between, have a Merry Christmas!
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