Family Christmas

Every Christmas, I can make a guess as to what will happen.

At my mother's house, we will put up an artificial tree, a small one, maybe four feet tall, onto a small coffee table.

This tree will be decorated with a few strings of lights, several ornaments, including some that are very important to my mother, as they belonged to her mother, who passed away from lung cancer a few years prior.

Under the table that the tree is placed on, will go the presents. These presents will range from books and country music CDs for me, to sports equipment and heavy rock CDs for my younger brother, to hunting equipment for my older brother, to tools and hardware for my stepfather, to some more facial and makeup items for my mother.

My stepfather will have The Christmas Story on the television, you know the one where the narrator is the kid, and he wanted that Red Raider B.B. gun but everyone says, "You'll shoot your eye out kid." Of course, after a while, that twenty-four hourathon of it does get annoying at times. But hey, here's a nice football. (Little reference to the store Santa part.)

Over at my father's side of the family, which I go to at around noon, I am at my father's mother's place. She will have a real tree that is just about touching the ceiling. Either one of my uncles or my father will put on a Santa hat, and pass out the gifts, saying, "This is for A. This is for B. This is for Me. This is for C. Oh, another for ME." and so on, as they will sometimes tease someone, whether it is one of their brothers, sons or nieces and nephews, by trying to keep the present from them.

After the presents have been passed out, and open, someone will start throwing the wrapping paper, in spite of my grandmother's protests against it. It causes a whole wrapping paper ball fight, as it were. Also, at times, there will be something of a wrestling match between the various people there.

Then, we sit down to eat dinner. Grandmother says a prayer, blessing the food, blessing those who couldn't be there for one reason or another, and we all say AMEN. Then we eat turkey, ham, potatoes, corn, and some type of pie for desert.

After that, I go back to my mother's place, or, as I should say, my place, and I relax, and think about the day, the presents that I got, who they were from, and above all else, I think about those who are not as lucky as me, and I hope that someday, they will get that chance, a chance to find a family who cares for them, people who give their kindness to them, people who will feed them, give them clothes, and, above all else, give them their love.

That is how Christmas with my family goes.

Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays.