Christmas

All my aunties!!

Crafts

Here is your picture Matthew Allen!!

The cuties nephews ever

These are my two favorites pictures of me and dad when I was little. They weren't during Christmas time, but I just love them.


Christmas is bittersweet this year. The love between family, immediate and extended, feels tighter and stronger than ever, but the void without Dad is so heavy. I flew home the weekend before Christmas to celebrate with family, since I will be working over Christmas. Matt, Jenny, and the boys came over one night and then we spent the weekend with the Hutchinson family (mom’s side).

I kept trying to remember specifics from last year with Dad. Frustratingly, I couldn’t pinpoint much, except one vivid and funny memory.

I was wrapping presents upstairs in my parents room and listening to This American Life. My dad came in the room very excited about the gift he had for my mom. It was a lovely pair of earrings with a matching necklace. He told me what he paid for it and I thought it was ridiculous. I began to scold him for such a purchase. I said such things as: “Dad, you do this every year. Mom is not that into jewelry. And, my heavens, you could feed a hundred children in Africa or give a child health insurance for a year in her name with that much money." (Yes I was completely serious in suggesting that he take it back and feed children in her name.) Dad was not in the least bit phased by my reprimands. He looked at me and said “well, I am giving it to her anyway”.

Now, I am going to pause here and explain that my love language is not gifts and I am cheap. I should also mention that my dad has a history of well meaning, but poor fitting gifts. Mom has always said that after 38 years of marriage he still couldn’t buy anything that fit her. He has also given us a number of pieces of jewelry that never left the box. In his defense, he always gave the best nerf guns Walmart had to offer. Every year dad would buy a LOT of nerf toys. After opening presents we would have a great nerf war, often with a neighbor or cousin joining in. It was amazing. No matter how old we were, and even before the excuse of grandchildren, Dad saw it as his responsibility to provide an array of shooting darts, helicopters, and cars at Christmas.

Upon opening the present, Mom loved it and did a great job swooning over it, giving a number of very convincing oouus and ahhhhs. Dad looked over at me and gave me this smirky look that clearly said “I told you she’d like it and I am getting lucky tonight”. I smiled back at him.

This year, I went into my mom’s jewelry box, found the earrings, and wore them all weekend. I am glad he didn’t listen to me.