Tis the night before Christmas

I am sitting here thinking of holiday seasons past. Tonight I am alone, my oldest son and his family stopped by a little earlier. We will have our family time together on Saturday, they have enough to do tomorrow with her family and the little ones. My youngest son is working, this is a very busy time for a restaurant and he is now their primary sushi chef.

When the boys were both at home, they both had their own trees and ornaments for their rooms. When N married, he took his with him, R has not put his up for a couple of years. Tonight, for a surprise, I put his tree up in his room. It brought back wonderful memories as I hung each of the ornaments.

Today, I baked and wrapped presents. R and I agreed to only get a few things for each other so we could buy more for the grandkids. N and his family have had a hard year financially, I know that Christmas added to the stress. Though, between myself and the other grandparents the children will not be disappointed.

This is a reflective and grateful time of year for me. I have been listening to Christmas music all day. My favorite Christmas albums are by Mannheim Steamroller. Their music is so upbeat and happy. I am also a sucker for light displays. Here's a little of both...



Listening to Handel's Messiah has been a Christmas tradition. My father used to play the whole thing every year, three records in a boxed set from Reader's Digest. He was a sucker for Reader's Digest boxed music sets. We would always sing along when he played it. I have also performed it in a choir several times. When N was young, from 3rd grade through 6th grade (when his voice changed), he was part of the Cincinnati Boychoir. It was an honor and a privilege, I was quite proud of him. They traveled extensively and performed about 40 concerts a year. In order to audition, the boys must be referred by their school's music director. They performed at Disneyworld, the Crystal Cathedral, the Cincinnati May Festival and the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, as well as many other local venues. I always loved hearing them sing the Hallelujah Chorus, especially when they were performing in one of the local, historic cathedrals. This is not them, but I still have a soft spot for boychoirs.



I am happy, content and peaceful this evening. I hope that you all are feeling a similar peace. Happy Holidays, however you celebrate them.