ghosts of Christmas past

Christmas 2010 was by far one of the best Christmas' I have ever had. The instant Elizabeth walked down the stairs she was mesmerized- the dollhouse she had been asking for was displayed along with several other gifts under the tree. We had a great morning opening presents, eating cinnamon rolls, drinking coffee, and just enjoying each other. Then out of our window we saw what would become a beautiful Christmas snowfall. The snow continued throughout the day, which led to an afternoon with neighbors building snowmen. We wrapped up the day with my husband's home made spaghetti, followed by a movie on the couch with Santa's leftover cookies. (Oh, and did I mention Santa brought me an iPad?) Perfect. In every way.

But not every Christmas has been like this, and I know there are a lot of people in the world that dread this holiday simply because of the memories that resurface. And as perfect as my Christmas was this year, I do have memories of past Christmas' that weren't so great. The first Christmas after my parents got divorced. The first Christmas without my high school & college sweetheart. The Christmas when I realized that Santa was really my mother. The Christmas I watched my world fall apart. Yes, these Christmas' in particular really sucked. And yes, every now and then the memories resurface.

In between the crappy ones, though, are magical memories of my childhood, young adulthood, and now, motherhood. Like the year Santa brought me a really cool sled, my first stereo, a mountain bike, and then, when I was 16, a car. The '85 maroon Cadillac Sedan DeVille wasn't exactly the coolest ride in town but hey, a car is a car!

And then there was the Christmas I was newly engaged and planning a wedding, the Christmas we were expecting our first baby, and the Christmas we announced baby #2 was on the way. And I will forever treasure the memories from last Christmas when my Dad and his wife, Jane, came to visit. Watching him sit under the tree with my girls on Christmas morning was absolutely priceless. Talk about flashbacks.

Sure, the ghosts of Christmas past certainly come to visit every now and then, but I don't let them get the best of me. Instead, I embrace the memories with grace and focus on where I am now. It's a lot more fun that way.

 

Christmas, 2010

(big thanks to my photog friend Kristy Dickerson for snapping this shot!)