The Holidays

I love the holidays. When I think of Thanksgiving and Christmas I actually feel a warm glow inside. I'm not trying to be poet. I'm explaining a feeling. It's because I know I'm going home for the holidays. Don't get me wrong, I love Ace and the life we are growing together, but there is no place like home. Dad and Mom's or "DAM" for short. When I'm at my mom and dad's I can leave my troubles behind for awhile. I don't have to be a mom. I don't have to be an associate. I just get to be me. My family means everything to me. I remember in my previous job, I was offered an opportunity to move to Florida and manage one of our offices. 2 weeks before I was to leave, I decided I couldn't leave my family and I wasn't going. My boss wasn't happy, but he got over it. I live about 2 hours from DAM's. The trip there seems to go so fast and the drive home seems to go on forever. But back to my holiday memoirs... When I was young, every Christmas Eve, we would go to church for a candle light service, then drive over to Gma and Gpa' S. house and the whole family would be there to watch the "G's" open their presents. Now you have to imagine this... My mom and SMB's dad are brother and sister. There are 8 siblings all together and they're there with their families. Let's just say we always packed ourselves in like sardines. But that was the fun of it. When we left the "G's" house, we'd go home and always get to open one present. It was always pj's but it was still exciting. On Christmas morning my sister and I would be dying to go downstairs, but we had to wait until the "G's" got there. On Christmas day, the "G's" would go visit everyone of their kid's families that lived near enough. We always got first dibs... Then we'd have our Christmas and breakfast. The G's would leave and we'd get ready to go have Christmas was my dad's side of the family. They always drove us kids downstairs after the presents were opened, but we had always gotten some kind of gift that we could use to put a show on. (Like ventriloquist dolls or dress up clothes). So the kids would go downstairs and make up a skit or song or something. then we'd put on a show for the adults. We thought it was a blast. Our parents were so clever. They got us out of their hair for an hour or so and we didn't get it... So my memories of Christmas's are all about family. Our families are getting older and moving further apart. Take this Christmas, we are going to DAM's house the weekend before Christmas for our big family Christmas and then sometime over the weekend, we'll have our separate DAM Christmas. But on Christmas day, John, I and the boys will be staying home... I'm not real sure if I'm ready or old enough to make this transition, but it's being forced upon me. I really don't like it because right after Christmas, DAM go to Florida for 3 months. But I'll adjust. John and I have talked about our new family. I have 4 sons now. And when they get married, there will be 8 of them. And if they each have 2 kids, that will be 24 of them coming over for holidays. I'll need a bigger house... Family means everything to me. My oldest son, his girlfriend and her son come over almost every Sunday for dinner and just be together. I enjoy cooking and I especially enjoy having my family around. I hope you are all with your family for Thanksgiving, but if you aren't, be happy just being with your own family. Cherish the time. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!