12 Days of Christmas

About this time last year I wrote about our traditions, namely the tradition of cutting our tree and decorating it with ornaments from our lives.  I wrote about all the ornaments and their origins.  They are a road map of our lives.  Mine, Gary’s, our life together, our children, our grandchildren.

I talked about how important our traditions are to us.  How they bind us together through the ages.  How important they are for  us. How they help us stay close and connected to those who came before us.

One of our family traditions is 12 Days of Christmas. My mother started this with mine and my brother’s children when they were very young.  The way it works is the first day of Christmas, for our purposes anyway, is December 13. That makes the 12th day December 24. Each day beginning on December 13, they get to open a gift.  For my grandkids, the first has always been an ornament. I try to make it special and relevant to the past year. Whether it’s the beginning of school, accepting Jesus as Savior, shooting their first buck or whatever may have been a milestone that year.   The second day is a Christmas book.  I remember one year a few back, I decided that the girls were too old for a book and honestly, it was getting difficult to find something so I didn’t get them a book. I heard about it.  They don’t like it when I deviate from the plan.  And ideas on Christmas books for a sixteen year old are appreciated.

This will be the second Christmas that Brooklynn doesn’t get the full 12 days.  My heart hurts to think about it. She was the beginning. She is the person who made me Gram. I don’t love her more just different. They are all different for me.  B was our first.  She spent a lot of time with us due to her mom’s work schedule. B was a beautiful child, so much like her mom. Big beautiful eyes, sweet disposition and oh so lovable.

Madison was different. The most obvious is that her Daddy was involved and present from day one.  So we had help and didn’t keep her as much. But When Carissa was about 5-6 months pregnant with Maddie, they saw something on the sonogram they didn’t like.  They saw a mass in or around her mouth. They sent her to Dallas for a better sonogram to make sure there was no problem. They determined that it was a mass, that appeared to be in or around her mouth or tongue but the doctor determined that there seemed to be enough room around it that it did not restrict any breathing. But Carissa had to go to Dallas every month and she had to deliver in Dallas.

I have been present for all three births of Carissa’s children, something I am very proud of and very appreciative of as well.  Because of the mass and the concern about it, I didn’t buy anything for Maddie in anticipation. I was scared that it would jinx it.  Stupid I know but I remember the overwhelming relief I felt when Maddie was born, the mass was easily snipped off and that big, deep, beautiful dimple appeared.  Maddie like her mom & sister was and still is beautiful.  She was not as easy going as B however.  She was colicky.  Her early years were a challenge but she is so very special to us.  She has such a light about her.  She has a huge heart and is always willing to help others.

We are blessed to live close and able to spend lots of time with our girls.  We were able to keep them a lot to help Carissa out and we took them camping and hunting.  We love camping with them.  They were always helpful, respectful and had such fun.  At 19 & 16, we don’t see them as much and we understand that they have busy lives but we miss our time with them and cherish every moment we can get.

I’ve loved buying 12 days for the girls.  Lots of fun Christmas socks, lip gloss, silly putty and girly things.  But a few years back, I had to start shopping for army men, Matchbox cars, ninja turtles and boy stuff.  As the girls were growing up and getting busy, God blessed us with two boys.  Born 9 1/2 months apart, it’s double trouble.   Boys have been described as noise with dirt on it and that is an apt description of Carter & Kaison.

They are 100% boy. They love getting dirty, bugs, and all things boy.  But like most little boys, they are super sweet and loving.  After my first surgery, Matt & Carter came by and I’m sure they had to,d him he need to be easy with me so he came in and carefully gave me a hug then sat down on the couch.   I kept noticing how he was watching me so intently. I smiled at him and he asked if I was comfortable. 💙  So sweet.  Carter likes bugs.  All kinds of bugs. Big bugs, little bugs, it doesn’t matter.  Kaison loves bugs too but he’s our question kid.  He wants to know how everything works.

12 Days of Christmas is a special tradition for us.  We have a lot of traditions, some old, some new, some we don’t do anymore and some we haven’t started yet.  My mother always did stockings of us.  David & I, like most kids, woke up on Christmas morning to a stocking full of fun stuff.  When we married, Gary, Carissa, Daniel & Karen were added to the stocking list and we all bought things to go in each others stockings.  Then along came Ethan, Sarah & Rachel, and still still did stockings.  Then Carissa had Brooklynn, then Madison, then came Matt, Jay and Sean so we had to give up on the stockings.  It just became too difficult.  It was hard to let go of the tradition but it was time.

This year, I’m starting a new tradition.  Each of my girls will have something to open at our Christmas party but part of their gift will be a Christmas adventure!  This year, our first, we have decided to go to Painting With A Twist!  The four of us painted a Christmas painting and had lots fun together.  Who knows what we’ll do next year!  Maybe we’ll start the tradition with the boys too.  After all, you don’t remember what gifts your grandparents gave you, you remember the time they spent with you.

So as we enjoy the holiday season, remember that it’s all about the memories not the stuff.  The stuff is fun and I love getting gifts but mostly I love spending time with my family and seeing the joy and wonder on their faces.