The annual Hebron Christmas party was hosted by Dr. Shuka this year. Due to her husband’s busy travel schedule and the loss of her mother this year, she hosted at a local Greek restaurant. The space was beautifully festive and it was a lot less stressful for her than readying her home.
We had the traditional dirty Santa gift exchange and Bill came up with a pretty fun gift. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the good cents* to take a photo of it. Ugh! We came home with a drill.
The staff played a guessing game, matching favorite Christmas memories with the people who shared them. A few nights prior to the party, Bill shared that he had submitted not one, but three! I am proud to say, without any hints, I somehow managed to guess them all.
These were the memories shared by all. See if you can guess Bill’s.
1. Every year we would attend Mass together on Christmas as a family. Once my siblings and I grew and moved out, it wasn’t possible for us to to this together every year. To this day, when my sister and I are able to get our families together and attend Mass with my mom, my mom is her happiest self.
2. When I was about six years old, I had a Christmas moment that has stuck with me to this day. That was the year I received new underwear and typing paper. You would think that would not be my favorite memory but it surely is for it was not a memory of what was under the tree that made that year special. No, it was a memory of what was outside the house. Late on Christmas Eve, as my family all donned our sleep attire and headed off to bed, my sibling summoned me to the window. Outside I saw such a sight—snowflakes as big as softballs falling from the sky. I stared in amazement at the beauty of the snow as it softly fell and started to cover the ground.
I have been through many a storm since that night. I have seen accumulations of snow far greater. I have never been so filled with wonder and awe as I was on the Christmas Eve of my sixth year.
3. When I was seven years old, my mother had a child-sized wooden china hutch made for me. To complete the gift, she game me a set of child-sized china. I still have the hutch today.
4. My favorite Christmas memory was in 2015. The house was full of joy and laughter. It was the first time all six kids were under one roof on Christmas Day. The smiles on the kids’ faces after opening their gifts made my Christmas. There were dolls, clothes, shoes, board games and video systems all over the living room floor. They were very appreciative of everything they received that Christmas.
5. When I was eleven, my brother and I were determined to try and peek at what Santa was going to bring us. We were pretty sure all the gifts were in a locked room in our basement. I was to look through a hole in the wall at the top of the stairs while my brother shined a flashlight through a hole at the bottom. In the corner we could see what looked like a bike, possibly purple (which I assumed was for me since I am the only girl). I was so excited and wanted to know for sure, however something was blocking full view. I told my brother to shove the end of a broomstick through the hole so we could get a better look. He poked a few times until we heard lots of glass breaking and then lots of dark red liquid started seeping out from under the wall. We had broken drinking glasses that belonged to my great grandmother and many bottles of my dad’s expensive wine! We cleaned up the wine and sprayed Windex (not sure what we were thinking) in hopes my parents wouldn’t smell the wine. Our plan didn’t work because as soon as my parents walked in the back door, they started yelling for us.
Christmas morning I woke up feeling horrible. I had the flu! I was so weak but did come downstairs to see what Santa had brought me: a beautiful purple bike. Karma!
6. It was the Christmas of 1985. I was home with my sibling minding my own business when she decided it was time to search for Christmas gifts. Up to the attic she went. At the time, I remember thinking this could be a good thing to do while my mom was at work, but oh, how things backfired. That following weekend we went to my dad’s for Christmas. As soon as we opened our gifts there, we realized that every gift we got from him was the exact same thing were getting at our mom’s.
The morals of the story are these: one, don’t ask for the same thing from both parents and two, if you want to enjoy and be surprised at Christmas or anytime, don’t go along with your sibling and hunt for your gifts.
7. Every year we baked cookies and decorated them. One year my sibling went in the attic to get something and he stepped off the walk board. His leg went through the ceiling and drywall went all over the cookies.
The party was always at our house on Christmas eve. Before everyone arrived, we would be taken on a drive and Santa would visit while we were gone. We were the only kids who got Christmas gifts before supper on Christmas eve.
8. My favorite Christmas memory was when I was young and my mom gave my sister and me an extra present. It was a small box, wrapped with lots of tape, and hard to open. It was a locket and inside it had a picture of our family on one side and on the other, a little saying. Mine said, “You’re always loved.” I will never forget the smile on my mom’s face.
9. One year I volunteered to take the call on the oncology ward at the hospital. We had about 40 patients on the unit at any given time. For Christmas, if they were well enough, we would discharge them home on Christmas evening and then readmit them on Christmas afternoon. They just had to come back in time to get their chemo. Rules being rules, we had to actually write up their formal discharge and then, when they returned, readmit them to the hospital. This was a lot of paperwork.
There were a few children, perhaps six, who were too sick to go home. They stayed after all the other children had left. Groups of carolers came through. Santa paid a visit. From time to time I would check in and make sure they were ok. Christmas morning came and later in the day the children started to return to the unit. I wrote up the paperwork for each kid while hearing their tales of Christmas at home I am sure many of those kids got better and that night is just part of their past. For a few of the kids who were too ill to leave, it was their last Christmas. I felt honored then, as I do now, that the families let me be a part of it.
10. When I was five, we went to my grandparents’ house on Christmas eve. All of my cousins were there too. Santa came to bring us all a special gift. Santa gave me a doll.
11. Every year my siblings and I would turn on our favorite Christmas music, make homemade sugar cookies and decorate them very intricately. On Christmas eve, we would leave our most beautiful cookies out for Santa and we would leave carrots in the yard for the reindeer. On Christmas morning, the cookies were gone and the carrots were half eaten by the reindeer.
12. I received my first piece of jewelry from my parents. It was a ring.
13. Repeated Christmas memories
Lights—As the days grow dark, my drives home this year take unexpected turns into new neighborhoods as displays appear.
Books—With children each night as the season nears. Books were stored carefully but eyes light up eleven months later when brought back to the basket by the fireplace.
Music—With worship of carols, chorus of hallelujah and the smiles of Rudolph. I listen well into January.
Aroma—Baking cookies, attracting the kids to kitchen tasks often avoided through the year.
14. On Christmas eve, I was working in the hospital. I was a little disappointed I had to miss one of my favorite traditions attending late night midnight church services so at midnight I gathered all the babies in the NICU. I stood in the center of the circle and read them the Christmas story from the Bible, Luke Chapter 2, just like Linus does in Charlie Brown’s Christmas. The babies bundled in their cribs and warmers seemed to like the story of the baby bundled in the manger.
15. A few years after my wife and I were married, we lived in a town with an outdoor skating rink. One Christmas morning we arose quite early. Rather than going right to my brother’s house, we opted to go the rink. There we were with a few other hearty souls skating on Christmas morning. Carols played through the loud speaker and my wife and I skated round and round. I felt like I was part of a movie scene. It was a joyful way to spend time together prior to jumping into the hustle and bustle of the day.
Make your guess and I’ll post the answers tomorrow.
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