Christmas Eve

I watched The Christmas Story for the first time today with Derron and our cat Gracie.  As was expected, Gracie slept through it.  Now I know what all the fuss is about.  I'd heard the line "You'll put your eye out" forever but now I'm "in the know".  It was a very amusing movie.  But it'll never replace How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  This will always be the consummate Christmas movie for me. The scene where the dog thinks he's going on an adventure only to find out he's hauling the sled...is my favorite.  We'll watch it tonight in bed as we await Santa.

My earliest Christmas memory is the sound of my dad putting scooters together for my sister Mari and I.  The sound that is of a profane litany of words aimed at the scooters themselves.

My favorite Christmas has to be one when we, my mom, sisters, and dog Annie went to a B&B in Pennsylvania farm country.  On Christmas Eve, the B&B family invited us to play Pictionary with them.  It was a hoot.  In the morning, the owner's wife made homemade applesauce for breakfast...yummmm!  After breakfast we planned to take a walk through a nearby apple orchard .  Not Annie though...after being offered a seat at the table at breakfast by the owner (seriously), she wanted to stay put.  She'd found a real home!

The fun in Christmas now lies in the decorating, Christmas card writing/reading, and baking...the shopping is not as much fun (if it ever was) anymore.  I'd rather sit on the couch and look at the tree and think about all the Christmases past. 

But this year, as with most every other, I think of the military folks I've known over the years...with their families or on their own in some faraway place.  I wish them all the very best and hope the Christmas spirit keeps them safe from harm!