Christmas Memories

One more Christmas to go! I am having our family Christmas this coming weekend. I'm really looking forward to it. My brother and his family (minus Nick & Danelle) will be coming, my sister and her family (minus Mike's Kallie) are coming and my children are coming. It will be a houseful but so wonderful to all be getting together. The weather even sounds like it will cooperate.

This Christmas was a different one for me. The first time in 62 years that I wasn't with my sister. I would like to continue the tradition started many years ago with my grandmother and our parents, but I guess it's time for new traditions and moving on in our lives. I had a very enjoyable Christmas Eve with Jim & his family and my daughter Barb. Barb and I spent part of the Christmas Eve day and evening with Jim & family. We got to all go to church together. It was a beautiful service. Snowed, but then that even makes it more Christmas Eve. Mandy prepared a delicious dinner, we opened presents and enjoyed watching Charlotte. Got some great pictures of my little darlin'. She's growing so fast. I'm glad I get to see her as much as I do. Wished it could be more often, but the distance does create some problems now and then.

I can remember as a child going to church on Christmas Eve, participating in the Christmas Eve services, receiving our brown paper bag full of hard candy, nuts, an apple and orange. Everyone who attended services got the same thing. The majority of the time when we left church it was snowing. Christmas snow. You know, the sparkly kind that makes everything look so beautiful. From church we would go to my Grandmother Baade's place for oyster stew and gift opening. Santa came during the night so we were all up very early the next morning. My dad usually took a little time to spend with us before having to go out and do his morning chores. My grandmother would join us for a big Christmas dinner and other family traditions. As my grandmother got older, my mother took over the tradition of Christmas Eve and our traditional oyster stew supper. We attended church, as usual but came home rather than going to Gram's. She just wasn't up to doing the supper any longer. Gram Baade would stay overnight and join us for all the fun on Christmas morning after Santa came. As we got older our boyfriends and girlfriends joined us for this tradition. After my first child arrived we continued with our Christmas Eve tradition. My husband was drafted so a couple of Christmas' we lived with my parents. Fortunately Harry was able to be home for Barbie's first Christmas. It was special having him able to come home. He was drafted in the fall and able to stay with us until we sold our mobile home, moved me and the baby back to the farm and have our daughter baptized. He was in boot camp over Christmas and able to get leave to come home and be with us. Our Christmas Eve tradition continued until the death of my Dad and Grandmother. Both of them passed the same year, the same week (within 2 days of each other). After the passing of my father and grandmother my sister and I took over the tradition, taking turns having it in our homes with our families. We started a sleep-over the past few years. When you came to my house it was always a little crowded but we sure had some good times.

It's now time for new traditions. Our families are growing and making their own traditions. Hopefully including us "old" people in their traditions. Like I said, I had a wonderful Christmas with my son and daughter and look forward to many more in the years to come.

I am also looking forward to getting together with my brother, sister and all our families this weekend. It's time our children get to know their cousins and their children. Both Jackson and Jerrett are running around and Charlotte is rolling all over the place. I'm looking forward to seeing the interaction between the little ones. It should be a lot of fun. Hopefully I can get everyone together for some pictures and more memories for all of us to keep in photos.

I never make New Year's resolutions . . . I make New Year's goals. I don't always reach those goals but I do take the time to come up with some. It's time for Joy to do something for Joy and 2010 is the year. I spend way to much time alone, tucked away in my home. It's time to get out and do something. My friend Marilyn and I have decided we're going to get together once a week for an evening out. It maybe just picking up sandwiches from Jared's place but at least we'll get out and get together. We spend time on the phone, but never seem to be able to get together. Times are a changin'!!! (Or at least I hope they are.)

I would like to take some time off and get away from Dubuque. I love my city and my home, but I also like to do some traveling. No definite plans have been made at this time, but you never know what we'll come up with.

This weekend is a long weekend for me. We have Monday, January 17th off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Maybe I'll get my big Christmas tree down and the majority of Christmas packed away. If not . . . there's more weekends coming.

I have some scrapbooking projects started, more planned so I think I'll probably have enough to keep me busy for a while. I'm sure winter is far from over. State basketball time always brings snow and every time you plan something special out-of-town . . . it snows! But that the good part of living in Iowa. If you don't like, I guess you need to move!!!

Enough Christmas memories. We'll be making more this coming weekend. To my children and other family members . . . drive safe. The door is always open and they'll be plenty of food and fun to go around.

God Bless.