Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Precious things.

I should be packing up my briefcase because my husband will be picking me up in about an hour so we can drive up to the college for our classes tonight. But I couldn't tear myself away from the big Christmas tree in the living room. . . . .

Every ornament on it means something to me. I know the circumstances behind the purchase of every single one.

Many of them are angels, shepherds, drummer boys, and soldiers. The fact that those are still on my tree makes me happy, too. Because, you see, those aren't really mine for keeps.

The angels will go with my daughter, when she moves out of her apartment and into a real home of her own. The shepherds, drummer boys, and soldiers will go with my son.

Every Christmas, from their first one till this one, I have added another angel, and another shepherd, drummer boy, or soldier, to our tree. That makes 26 angels, and 24 shepherds, etc, hanging on my tree. They aren't mine to keep. They belong to my children. Soon, those ornaments will be gone from my tree, and they will be hung on another tree in another house. They will be symbols of the past, hung on a tree that symbolizes a future, for my children. THEIR children will point to them and ask about them and I hope my children will tell their children how the ornaments were purchased, one at a time, year after year, hung on Grandma's tree, and finally packed up and eventually hung on THEIR tree. And I hope my children will add to their collections, that I began for them when they were newborn, and add to their tree a new collection for their own kids.

Christmas is many things to many people, but I think one common bond is tradition. No two families have exactly the same traditions, but then, why should they? It is just the fact that families have their own traditions, that is important. Children cherish tradition.

No, the most precious ornaments on my tree aren't mine to keep. They will belong to my children, the most precious things in my life. They aren't mine to keep, either.

Yes, children cherish tradition.

So do we.

(Oh my dear Lord, when I said "Grandma" up there, that will be ME! Holy scheiss.)