A Christmas Bouquet from Bradley

As in most families, we have many ‘traditions’ connected with the holidays.  Many involve certain foods and ancestral recipes.  Others have to do with timing – opening presents on Christmas Eve; gathering for Christmas morning coffee and pastries to see what Santa left in our stockings.  And, right up there with all the other rituals is the hustle and bustle.

Whether it’s our turn to travel or to host the Christmas festivities, it always seems that there isn’t quite enough time.  It’s the visiting that usually gets short shrift.  Someone always has to make a trip to town for a last-minute grocery item, or to disappear for a while to finish wrapping presents.  Some of us are in the kitchen preparing the next meal or cleaning up after the last one; holiday visitors stop by for a little chat; or (especially recently) family members need to check their email, or their text messages or make a phone call.   Even here in Oysterville, we seem to be sucked onto that apocryphal fast track.

2013 Christmas Tree

So far this year, though, the pace has been more leisurely.  We’ve actually had time to sit and visit.  And the visits aren’t just catch-ups with what we’ve been doing with our lives.  We’ve talked about ideas and dreams, about our ambitions and regrets, about matters of substance for a change!

I’m not sure about the why of it.  Perhaps it’s because of Christmas falling mid-week.  We seem to have an extra couple of days at our disposal.  Or perhaps, at long last, any of the remaining generational tensions and old baggage have finally evaporated.  Far be it from me to look too closely for a reason.  I’m full of gratitude that, for the first time in years, the holidays feel leisurely and the house seems full of quiet joy.  That’s the best Christmas gift of all!