“This year we are going to have a really nice Christmas,” she decides. “We have been waiting and waiting for things to get better. It has probably been ten years since we put up a tree,” she thinks. She unpacks the carefully wrapped decorations from their boxes where they have been patiently waiting for all this time.
Strands of pearls and gold beads, colored lights, glass balls – gold, green, red, white, purple, and blue. Handmade lace ornaments in the Victorian style. Toys reminiscent of Disney characters and childhood memories; a gum ball machine, a bicycle made for two, a little mini Flyer wagon, animals, vegetables, a dill pickle, surfer Santa, Aboriginal mementos, and a big gold star on top!
Jack turns the tree lights on every morning before Kristie wakes up. They listen to Christmas carols, while she wraps the few presents they can afford. Jack bakes cookies! Loads and loads of cookies; oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, brownies, and Russian tea cakes. She thinks her husband is the most wonderful man in the world! He happily arranges platters of the sweet morsels as gifts to family, friends, and neighbors.
They attend a lovely neighborhood party and potluck. Everyone is dressed in their finest holiday garb. The meal features spiral cut ham and many side dishes and desserts.
Year by year the number of Christmas cards they received was diminishing, but this was made up by the increasing number of emails they got instead. She thought this was the wave of the future. “It would be cool if all over the world cyber parties were held where the whole family could celebrate over the web…like “A Simulcast Christmas.”
On the Solstice they stood outside at midnight and watched the lunar eclipse. They lit a candle and some incense, played the drum, and rang the bell to welcome the light. They gave thanks to all the seasons of the Earth, the planets, the stars, forests, the plains, and the deserts of the world… and most importantly – The Sun!
On Christmas Eve when Jack and the dog were cuddled up for their long winter’s nap, she watched a Methodist church service on TV. It was a nice service inclusive of parishioners of all ages and ethnicity. Small children lit candles, teens read prayers, seniors made a presentation, and the choir was accompanied by a string quartet, a percussionist, a French horn, and a bugle.
The pastor was a cool long haired peaceful sort of guy who told the story with passion and compassion, “The Christ is in all of us…” Merry Christmas.
