Shirley Jean was thrilled to be allowed to tie gifts on the tree. She hung up her stocking at the fireplace, and Dad did too, as he usually does when a grandchild is here. – Ina Dobson, Christmas 1936. (Shirley Jean was Ina and Julian’s 10-year-old granddaughter; “Dad” was Julian.)
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| Watching football |
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| Mom's old bin of toys |
Mike and I are not yet great-grandparents, but given our ages, we could even be great-great grandparents. However, in 2021, we received a special gift through Hallie and Nick – another grandchild, Silas. Due to distance and winter weather, we have never spent Christmas with a grandchild, though we have had some memorable Halloweens.
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| Sharing Grandma's breakfast |
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| Reading with Mom |
But this year, Silas came for an early Christmas with us. In my mind’s eye, I could see him toddling around the yard at the farm, making a snowman with his dad and coasting down the lane cradled between his mother’s knees, but alas! – it was not to be. We were disappointed, but we knew snow would prevent access to the farmhouse, so we stayed at the little town house where we enjoyed the antics of this 14-month-old boy. I will cherish the memory of this Christmas with little Silas.
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| Helping Grandma with her sippy cup |
The weather in that week before Christmas was frightful – so cold with some snow showers. Hallie, Nick, and Mike walked the dogs, but Silas and I mostly stayed in the house. Christmas weekend saw the temperatures warming, but the streets were treacherous with a layer of ice. Hallie and her family left on Christmas Eve to return to Seattle, but Snoqualmie Pass was closed, and with extra stops to take care of Silas, it was 10:30 p.m. when they arrived at their house.
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| Music with Uncle Murray |
Yes, that’s right. Our family left just as it was officially Christmas, but Santa came to our house early. Then we had a lovely quiet Christmas Eve dinner with son Clint and Elisha, including son Murray. Christmas Day was a time of quiet contemplation, planning projects, and football. With the warming trend (it was above freezing Christmas Day), Mike scraped the snow and ice off the driveway with the 4-wheeler blade, making it much safer to navigate on foot.
This morning (Tues., Dec. 27), it’s 38 degrees -- that’s warm – and we have both wind and flood advisories. KW
3 comments:
The weather here has taken most of the snow. Several friends have reported basement flooding and I know some streets in town are under water. The "January thaw" is early this year. We are cozying up to our new fireplace and mostly staying home and dry. Loved reading about your Christmas days and the pictures are so special! Happy New Year!!
It WAS a special time. I wish we had video of Silas opening his Duplo truck set -- the sound he made was pure joy!
Chris -- As usual, you read my mind. I had to doublecheck that I have yet to publish the post I wrote today.
And Hallie -- I, too, regret that we were unprepared for Silas' reaction to his Duplo truck. If he had the words, we think he would have said, "Oh, wow! Just what I wanted!" He is fascinated by wheels and what they do. And it just made me feel so good that I selected that gift instead of what I had originally intended to buy.
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