ANTICIPATING A GOOD CHRISTMAS
We’re going to have June’s [family with us] and Mr. and Mrs.
Boehm have promised faithfully to come. …. We promised to have a regular tree,
and we’ll all be children and have a lot of fun out of it.” – Ina Dobson
Ina looked out the kitchen window in dismay. The clouds hung low, shrouding her world in darkness. It was pouring rain, and yesterday’s beautiful snow had mostly disappeared. It was a dull day, and inside, the house was dark, too. She lit the kerosene lamp in the sconce on the kitchen wall. She was tempted to feel down, but her spirits were lifted when Shirley began to practice Christmas carols at the piano. She was suddenly inspired to bake gingersnaps. Yes! It was a perfect day to bake gingersnaps!
In Ina’s world, the trappings of Christmas were not allowed until December 24th. Once when little granddaughter Shirley Jean was with them, she agreed that the tree could be set up on the 23rd, but this was a concession. Her celebration began with Christmas and lasted through New Years and perhaps a little beyond if the tree wasn’t too dry. In January, she settled down to enjoy her gifts.
As
for Ina’s cards and Christmas letters, they were mailed just in time for
Christmas and not before, despite the pleas of the post office to mail early in
December. Ina was simply not concerned with the plight of the post office as it
struggled to handle an ever-increasing volume of holiday mail. (She didn’t say
this in so many words. I gleaned it through her writings.)
For Ina, anticipation was a big part of the Christmas fun. She planned every detail of her celebration, making sure that everyone under her roof as well as her far-flung family would be well-remembered.
As for me, I’m slowly decorating now. As always, it’s better to say what I did than what I plan to do. KW
2 comments:
Nick has been especially inspired this season. We went to a nice JoAnn Fabric just north of the city so that he could get some thin ribbon for some of his ornaments. He's also ordered stocking holders for the mantel and is on a mission to find some small-ish stockings to hang. He also mentioned wanting a small garland or something for the mantel. Having a child makes a person (or people) get around to things that always seemed like good ideas, but that were put off for some other day.
Among my earliest memories I see my parents decorating the mantel. I think it was Christmas Eve and they were rushed to get it done -- another reason they began to start decorating earlier. It IS fun to make Christmas for a child.
I am seeking a pre-lit garland for my display stand.
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