I’ve been thinking a lot about my mother who loved Christmas.
I always feel her over my shoulder whenever buying gifts, since I inherited my holiday leanings from her.
Our house could have been a Hallmark ad the way she decorated. Cards displayed on strips of red ribbon tacked around the mantel and bookcase. Santas everywhere. And the tree was award winning, like move over Rockefeller Center.
But the most amazing thing about her during those few short weeks, was she was happy, even liking my father she loathed the other 11 months of the year.
I remember once sneaking out of bed to admire the tree to find them dancing, waltzing like Fred and Ginger. Yes, highballs were involved, and that included my father’s who so adored my mother, didn’t much matter what she did.
Fluffy the cat was sprawled on the coffee table, where she was normally not allowed, purring happily, all in the company of the tree lights sparkling to the faint sound of Sinatra crooning on the stereo.
This is the scene I choose remembering, not the ones when they were drunk, pitching things at one another like outfielders, on the outs.
I recall a bandaged head and a cracked wrist…broken toes and one too many black eyes, but the only memory that really matters is the truce, they called at Christmas, and how beautiful they were when they danced. 
SB
It’s so sad that happiness was so seasonal. It had to be hard for everyone especially a skinny little girl.
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I learned a lot from them, good and bad. Let’s say Fluffy was the better parent. 🙂
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Sometimes the best lessons are what you don’t want to be.
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Very true. I certainly would never want to dislike the person I was with, and for that long. Their lives, along with mine, would have been so much different if they had parted ways, but back then, you just stayed in the nightmare like sick soldiers.n
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Thank goodness we don’t do that anymore!
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You said it. Feel bad for them being in that place. He certainly would have lived longer. sigh
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Wow it must have been brutal the rest of the year. Its nice you remember those good thoughts, hopefully it’s uplifting enough to get you by. When parents are gone its good to try and think the good thought, although your childhood and mine were total opposites. You don’t get to choose ! Have a great day!
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I try to excavate the good, you know, like a miner looking for gold. 🙂
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Christmas does strange things to families. Apparently good families go bad. It seems odd that your experience is the opposite. I’ve said before that folk don’t manage expectations well. I think that applies equally to both relationships and Christmas. The advertisers peddle fairytales and the people buy tat.
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Tat? I was little so who remembers what my expectations were. Xmas was exciting, whether they were throwing things or note. Confessions of a little girl.
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What a beautiful memory, Susannah. Hold on to the good moments, they are just as real as the not so good ones.
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That’s true Skinny. As I get older I see that. 🙂
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Tis the season to be merry. :O)
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It would seem. Hi Paul.
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Hey Susan! Hope your Thanksgiving was marvelous.
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It was quiet. I ate shrimp rather than turkey. Whole Foods had a sale. I look pretty good with gills. They mask my wrinkles. 🙂
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😀 Somethings fishy in Manhattan.
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Can you smell me from there?
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It’s this nose of mine. It’s so BIG!
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I think it should go on tour
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It could be almost as popular as… as… as the Rolling Stones! Well… almost.
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Not quite, but close 🙂
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By a nose. 😀
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You’re so funny. 😂
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Sometimes all it takes is one great memory to push the rest to the curb. This one my friend is a gem!
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Yeah. They did have their moments, though rare.
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Beautifully written.
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Thank you. Painfully written…sigh
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