My "Happy Holidays" column
By Clyde
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Here we are once again, getting ready to celebrate the birth of Christ. Whether it is 5 months early or 7 months late depends on your perspective. On the other hand, is it 7 months early and 5 months late, I don't know, I digress.
Contrary to popular belief, I actually enjoy this time of year. I know it doesn't show, being the blustering blowhard that I am. If truth were told, this is one of my favorite times of the year. It is the time of year where people smile a little faster and treat each other a little nicer and you can take the crap of everyday life a little better. However, it can also be a very bittersweet time.
As I sit here trying to think of what I want to convey, I begin to think of my parents. Here it is, another holiday and it saddens me that I cannot spend it with them. Then I think that while they may not be here in body, they are in my heart and that gives me some comfort. I would be lying if I tried to say that I wasn't getting a little weepy writing this, thinking about my parents and all, but then I think to the special times of holidays past.
I remember the year that my Dad (Clyde) brought home this really big box with Mom's name on it. (Joyce) It drove Mom nuts trying to figure what he had gotten her. She tried her best to figure it out and even resorted to trying to trick my Dad into giving her a clue as to what it was. On Christmas Day, she finally got to open the box, only to find a smaller one inside, then another inside that one. She opened box after box until she got to the smallest and to her dismay, all she found inside was just an ordinary red clay brick. Oh was she peeved, she just could not figure out why her husband of 40+ years had given her such a strange gift. It wasn't until Dad told her to look on the other side that she finally found the $500 he had taped to the bottom.
That was one of those special family times that cannot be bought for any price. To some, his gift may have been only money, but to me, it was the greatest gift that one person could give to another. He went to all that work making sure every box fit within the other. Made sure that shaking it would not give her a single clue as to what it was. And all he got in return was the squeal of surprise and a smile that lit up the room. That smile was contagious and it was Dad who had gotten the best present of all, a happy family having fun together.
Then there was the time that my Dad and some of his Army Reserve buddies decided that it would be appropriate for them to do a chorus line dance at the annual Christmas party at the Reserve Center. The wives were given the task of coming up with their costumes. Big Mistake! To say these women got creative would be an understatement. When it came time for the show, a bunch of men who normally saw each other clad in fatigues were treated to an array of dresses that would make a New York fashion designer sew his eyelids shut. The were poodle skirts, evening gowns, chorus line costumes and one was even dressed as a stripper. However, the one that stole the show was Sgt. Clyde in the pink tutu. What Dad didn't know was that Mom had altered the outfit after the last fitting to include two big red hearts, one for each cheek. I still have the picture of Dad with two big red hearts affixed to his posterior, standing on tippy-toes doing a pirouette. Priceless! Here was a room full of people having a good time with friends and family and a lot of the fun was because of one woman, Mom.
Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, whatever, it is not the gift that is given, but the love that it was wrapped in that is important. Does it really matter if she got that tennis bracelet she wanted or the new belt sander he was hoping for? No, it is the time spent with family and friends that makes the holiday. It is not the carol you sang but the chorus with whom you sang it that really makes this time of year special.
Take these times and hold them dear, for life is short and we lose the ones we love far too early. Mom and Dad are gone now and memories tend to fade over time, but feelings last a lifetime. I may not remember exactly what I was given on the Christmas of 1972, but I can still feel the love and happiness that we shared.
So in closing I guess what I am trying to say is, treasure this time in your life. Feel the love from those who make you happy and give of yourself freely. Enjoy the laughter, camaraderie and fellowship that this time of year is supposed to represent. Remember those who are not with you in body but still live within your heart.
Thank you all for sharing your time with me this year, by just reading what I write, you have given me the greatest gift of all. To you all, I want to wish a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanzaa and Happy Holidays.
Merry Christmas Mom and Dad, I love you and I miss you.
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