MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Sun came out a few minutes ago! Wow! It is bright. We have been so shy of sunshine that it seems more than natural. We have missed it. It is great that the light appeared to help us celebrate Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve was the big celebration when I was growing up. The extended family gathered at our maternal Grandparents home. We had lutefisk, mashed potatoes, a great quantity of melted butter and what goes with that for dinner. No my Grandparents were not Scandinavian. My Grandmother was German and English. My Grandfather was Irish and Yankee[?]. I think it was common for folks in the last half of the Nineteenth Century to label themselves as Yankee and not disclose their European origin. [My Great Grandfather on my Dad's side of the family also called himself a Yankee]. I don't know where the lutefisk tradition came from. I miss it and would like to have it now.

In our family Santa trimmed the tree on Christmas Eve. After dinner we all went upstairs to wait for Santa. Some of the older folks went up with the kids, the other adults were supposed to be in the kitchen washing dishes. We gathered in our Grandparent's bedroom and watched eagerly out the window hoping to get a glimpse of the sleigh. You can't believe the excitement. After what seemed like an eternity a door would slam and we would hear shouts from downstairs, “Santa was here, Santa was here!”

We would roar down the stairs and and find a room lit only by candlelight. Around the tree were piled gifts from Santa. Even the Christmas Tree was lit with candles. It, also, had a string of electric lights but for the first evening it had candles. There seemed to be an uncle whose main job was to keep an eye on the candles to prevent a conflagration.

It was magical! Long after we were too old to believe in Santa we joined the younger, believing cousins upstairs to share the magic. We were probably well into our teens before we stayed with the adults downstairs.

Most of the family was Catholic [believing and non-believing]. The family had a tradition of marrying Non-Catholics. Mixed marriages were the rule rather than the exception. None the less, most would head out to church for Mid-Night Mass and some would stay home and continue the celebration with Tom and Jerrys. [sp?]

Then there was Midnight lunch. When folks arrived back from church the Midnight lunch would have been started. It consisted of fried ham, ham gravy, scrambled eggs and I am forgetting the most important part. What did we put the ham gravy on? Some kind of fried bread? Oh, my mind my mind, I can almost see it, I can taste it, what was it? If I remember before the blog is over I will add it at the end.

As much as this time is for remembering our traditions, it is even more a time of starting anew.

We have gone full cycle. We expanded with the light. We developed our fruit [created]. We retreated in contemplation of our year's creation. Now it is time to expand with the light again. We have learned something. We have learned what is cherish-able and what we would like to give up.

We see from the experience that has just passed, what we created with our thoughts and attitudes, we know what we want to bring into the new year and what we want to leave behind.

The Sun is shining in my study window and it is bathing me in glorious light. It truly feels like the Love of the Universe. Ahhh I think I will leave this blog as it is and expand with the Light.

Merry Christmas everyone! The Light does return!

Love and Peace, Gregg