If you sit very still, you can probably hear the sound of reindeer bells and maybe, just maybe, the sound of their hooves on the roof. And Santa Claus? Well he is hard at his task of going to visit children all around the world! If you think about it, he has the hardest job imaginable. Fortunately, since the world is round, he is able to take, oh probably, 24 hours to get the job done. I am very sorry to say, that we no longer have any young children living at our house, which means that Santa will be able to give us pass. However, the spirit of Christmas including Santa Claus, is alive and well at the Reiss house!
On the 25th of December, all the Reiss family, except Adrienne, Katie Mei and Mike, who are still in Montana, will be gathering at Tobi and Heidi’s house in Etna, New Hampshire. Sarah, Rene and their children will be coming up from the Cape. Polly and Russ, along with Sebastian, will arrive from Waterbury Center. Of course, Malcolm and I will be there early and probably stay too late! Please note that I didn’t mention McKinley when I said Polly and her family. This year, for the first time, Mac will not be with us. He will be on the Schooner Mystic and sailing the Caribbean! We will miss him terribly, but this is his dream job and one that he has thought about for years. Next year, he will be at Mass Maritime and I would assume can come home for Christmas Day. So, now you know what all the Reiss family is doing on Christmas day. And for me, it is such a wonderful time and one that I anticipate for months ahead. I just love it when all (or almost all) of my children and grandchildren get together.
And what about you? I hope that each and every one of you have a place to go or family and friends arriving to celebrate this most magical of holidays. Don’t think about the work involved or the stress you might put on yourself as you prepare either to go or have all those arrivals. Life is too short to worry about anything that is supposed to be a good time.
I like to think that giftgiving is really the least of the good times ahead. Nope, like most of you, I have thought about what I wanted to give each and every one of my loves ones. Because I am now “out of the loop” I don’t know if my choices for each one will be the “right” thing. But you know, I really don’t care! I have thought about each and every person that I want to give a gift to and I hope that it is correct. If not, too bad! Back in the day, I can remember getting a gift from my grandparents that I thought was pretty dumb. But I told them I loved it and of course, they believed me. But back then everyone was taught to be polite and God forbid you weren’t and you misbehaved, especially on Christmas. I just hope that the children of today are taught the same thing.
But, gifts aside, take the time to relish your luck and your family. And of course, it is the appropriate time to eat until you drop! This one occasion is time to give yourself permission to eat all the appetizers, the main meal, including stuffing and potatoes, and of course, dessert. You can worry about your figure or your diet tomorrow. Christmas Day is time to eat, drink and be merry!
From my house to yours, I want to be sure and wish you all a very Merry Christmas. And just for a moment, try and think about how lucky you are. Christmas should be a time of reflection, and regardless of whether you can get out to church or not, I know you have a few minutes to give thanks. And I want you to sit quietly on Christmas eve, whether you have little children or not, and listen carefully. Hopefully, you will be lucky enough to hear those bells or even better the sound of Santa’s sleigh, and it zooms around your neighborhood. Believe me, it is time well spent, and you will enjoy every minute.
So, Merry Christmas, may the joy of the season be yours and yours!! Judy, Malcolm, Tobi, Heidi, Camden, Nicholas, Polly, Russ, Sebastian, McKinley, Sarah, Rene, Colby, Charlie, Ellie, Adrienne, Mike and Katie Mei. And of course, Rufus, Lily, Victor, Yul, Clover, Lucy, Isaac, Sully, Kiwi, Koda, Eddie and Frankie
