The Eve of Christmas
I was sitting here listening to Marian Carey sing All I Want For Christmas and I was thinking that I would like to go back in time to Christmas past. If I could around this time on Christmas past we would have just be getting to my grandmother's house for the second time on this Christmas Eve after going home taking a short break from decorating the giant tree earlier. My mom would drive us back and the scent of Nana's tamalie pie backing in the oven and my grandfather standing at the dining room table adding all kinds of liquors in his home made egg nog. Of course, when we were little we weren't allowed to have any of the grown folks nog as we used to call it. He made some non alcoholic some for the kids. Nana would always have punch on hand too.
Jazz music, Christmas Carols would fill our ears and The Christmas song sung by Nat King Cole would always be played on the radio along with all the other jazz greats including Ella and Duke.
After my grandfather got his fill of egg nog he would sit in his chair and tap his foot to the beat. Nana would bring the food out and set the table. We would all munch on food and toast Christmas Eve with our nogg.
When the radio announcer announced it was midnight and shouted Merry Christmas then it was time for gifts. My grandfather would go under the tree and hand out gifts one by one to everyone. We would all take turns opening them one by one and holding up whatever was lying underneath the wrapping paper and inside silver and gold boxes. The adults mostly got clothes. They held up arrays of shirts, pants, jackets, dresses and skirts. The kids would look interested but we were really waiting to see if Santa had brought us anything but clothes. Sometimes he did and we got games, watches, and jewelry but most time we got more clothes then anything else.
After all the gifts were opened and the egg nog drunk and food eaten it was about time to pack up the gifts in the car and head home until we returned in a few hours for dinner.
We would choose an outfit to wear to dinner one that Santa gave us and when the time came we all loaded ourselves in the car and off to grandmother's house we went again to celebrate with our family.
Now, Christmas is much different. The grands aren't here anymore and the grandkids are all grown up and our moms and dads are now grandparents and great grandparents.
Most of the new generation has their own celebrations and nobody really comes together anymore on Christmas sadly. I think I am the only one who sends out Christmas cards still.
So, as I sit here on this Christmas Eve I can't help but think about Christmas past and smile.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Jazz music, Christmas Carols would fill our ears and The Christmas song sung by Nat King Cole would always be played on the radio along with all the other jazz greats including Ella and Duke.
After my grandfather got his fill of egg nog he would sit in his chair and tap his foot to the beat. Nana would bring the food out and set the table. We would all munch on food and toast Christmas Eve with our nogg.
When the radio announcer announced it was midnight and shouted Merry Christmas then it was time for gifts. My grandfather would go under the tree and hand out gifts one by one to everyone. We would all take turns opening them one by one and holding up whatever was lying underneath the wrapping paper and inside silver and gold boxes. The adults mostly got clothes. They held up arrays of shirts, pants, jackets, dresses and skirts. The kids would look interested but we were really waiting to see if Santa had brought us anything but clothes. Sometimes he did and we got games, watches, and jewelry but most time we got more clothes then anything else.
After all the gifts were opened and the egg nog drunk and food eaten it was about time to pack up the gifts in the car and head home until we returned in a few hours for dinner.
We would choose an outfit to wear to dinner one that Santa gave us and when the time came we all loaded ourselves in the car and off to grandmother's house we went again to celebrate with our family.
Now, Christmas is much different. The grands aren't here anymore and the grandkids are all grown up and our moms and dads are now grandparents and great grandparents.
Most of the new generation has their own celebrations and nobody really comes together anymore on Christmas sadly. I think I am the only one who sends out Christmas cards still.
So, as I sit here on this Christmas Eve I can't help but think about Christmas past and smile.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
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