12/5/2013
Tomorrow, my neighbor Kim and I are going to pick up Benjamin for the weekend. Benjamin will stay with Kim and her family Friday and Saturday and I know he'll have a good time, because he always does.
Then on Saturday night, Benjamin is coming to Mom-Mom's (that's me) house. We'll watch one of his favorite movies and probably have popcorn. Once it's bedtime, he and I will follow our routine that hasn't changed in a long time. While I'm getting ready for bed, Benjamin goes to the book basket I keep on my side of the bed, pulls out a few (maybe 10!) and stuffs them under my pillow. I am unsuspecting, promptly gets in bed and puts my head down on a very hard and somewhat pillow! As on cue Benjamin's giggling begins while I try to pound out the lumps, unsuccessfully! At this point, Benjamin lifts my pillow up and I'm always "surprised" to find books under there. Once the books have been removed, then he and I begin serious negotiations about how many books we're actually going to read tonight. Several stories later and a great deal of cuddling, and I recognize the sound of a peaceful slumber. I don't know how many more years Benjamin and I will go through this very familiar routine. What I do know is that I'm pretty sure he'll grow out of this game long before I will.
On Sunday, Pop Pop (Jeff) will get down our tree from the garage - and yes, if you're wondering it's prelit which is a feature I've come to love. Do you remember in the past the time spent untangling the lights because at the end of the season, you just wanted everything put away, so you jammed the lights in a box and shut the lid? Guilty as charged - that's the way I generally handled Christmas lights.
Jeff will also get down several boxes of ornaments that have decorated too many trees to count. There are the plaster cast ones of tiny handprints, a few that have remained unbroken that belonged to my parents - and trust me they are old and by now really fragile. I have never had a themed or color coordinated tree. Nope, the boys and now Benjamin are free to put ornaments on where they want. For sure sometimes a particular branch gets a bit heavy if there are too many ornaments hanging but for the most part, we leave the decorations just as they are. It seems like a hundred years ago, but is probably more like 30 years, I bought some super cheesy popcorn and cranberry plastic garlands. Okay these garlands were cheap and you can definitely tell they're plastic even if you have horrible eyesight! Still, no tree in our house was ever complete without this garland. I'm sure this year will be no different, and I wouldn't want it any other way.
To be honest, if Benjamin wasn't coming this weekend, I'm pretty sure that the tree would remain on the shelf in the garage. I'm not exactly a Bah Humbug person, but find I no longer get really excited about getting the tree down. And as for having a real tree in my house again - forget it. I plugged up more than one vacuum cleaner trying to pick up all the fallen needles!
I remember when I was younger, my parents didn't put up much more than a wreath. I thought that was odd behavior, and yet as the years go by, I completely understand because I'm pretty much doing the same thing. I asked myself when exactly did Christmas become unexciting. Answer: when the boys got older and they weren't curious enough to shake the boxes and spend lots of time rearranging the packages so that their gifts were at the front of the tree! And in true competitive spirit, somebody else would eventually come by and make sure that all of his packages were in the front! This particular dance went on for days and as long as there was no bloodshed, I was fine with their antics. If I ever bought something breakable for one of the boys (and that was really rare), I put a sticky on the package that said something like don't shake me, I might break! Since I didn't have daughters, I can tell you from years of experience that when boys see what resembles a shirt box, they are so not enthused! Boys and/or men don't really want to receive clothes, even if they have a few garments that definitely need replacing. We gals, on the other hand, love receiving clothes. This year for instance there is a particular sweater that I want (I already own one and love it so much I want another). So what did I do? Easy, I cut and pasted the name of the store, the item number and description, the size and the color. I believe Santa should be able to find this sweater! It's not that I don't love surprises, because believe me I do, it's just that when it comes to clothes, I think the dots should be very close together!
I'd love to stay and chat with all of you, but I need to get dressed because today is another volunteer day. It's a super gloomy day here and I know it's only misting or raining outside, but if it was colder, it truly looks like snow.
Enjoy your day.
P
Well, sure and I feel the same way...maybe it is just our Glazebrook side. I find it a major chore to get the tree out of the box. It is so tall that I cannot do it by myself and I will have to take everything out of the closet to even get to it. I agree that it is "unexciting" and that is really a shame. I do love the Christmas lights at night and I know work on a high fashion street at the beach and it is beautiful there at night. Every single store is all lit up, just cant afford anything when sweaters start at 500.00 a piece, but it is fun to touch sometimes at lunch. Enjoy your special time with Ben and feel blessed that you have a grandchild that shares time with you, some of us don't get that time...cherish it always!
ReplyDeleteMarilee
Thanks for the note. I will absolutely enjoy Benjamin and am blessed to have in my life. Perhaps he's the reason I have survived this year and have fought so hard to get well.
ReplyDeleteP