As I contemplate this most recent holiday season, I’m reminded of what that time of year means to me. The season would begin with thanks for the many blessings I have been fortunate enough to have in my life and then lead into joy, love, and the spirit of giving and finally end with hope as we entered a new year. My most cherished memories have always been associated with this time of the year. It was and still is my most favorite season.

This last year was a year of embracing change. This last year, the person who probably loved this season even more than I did, wasn’t with us. My Mom left us back in the spring of 2023. She battled valiantly to overcome the disease that had attached itself to her body. She fought her fight, she finished her race, and she kept her faith. She died peacefully surrounded by those she loved.

As the holiday season approached, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to participate in the traditions that I’ve known my whole life. But every time I would have the thought of somehow just letting it pass by without celebration, I would hear her voice saying to carry on. So we did. As much as it wasn’t the same, her presence was felt in ways I didn’t expect.

We hung the wreath and lights on the same home she’s decorated every holiday season the last 40+ years, and I put up her Christmas tree on the inside. To say I was terrified of the whole ordeal would be an understatement. My Mom was VERY particular about her Christmas tree. Every ornament had to be perfectly placed. As a result I didn’t have very much experience decorating a tree, because we didn’t dare touch it. I think she would have been pleased, maybe even proud. I know I watched her enough that I must have picked up a little bit of her magic. Heaven knows I tried. The pictures in this post are of her tree decorated by me. I think I did ok.

In the last few years, we lost both of our parents. This particular season, Thanksgiving (my Dad’s favorite) and Christmas (my Mom’s), felt very different and came with it’s fair share of emotions. Even so, it still had a magic that I could never explain. Giving gifts and receiving gifts as expressions of our love for each other and sharing a meal, with those you love, is always a special thing. I thought perhaps I wouldn’t feel good enough to do it this year, but I actually felt it more. We felt the passing of the torch from Mom and Dad, to carry on the love of the season that they so ingrained in us from our very beginnings.

I’ve learned over these many months that the greatest gift my parents gave me was the gift that walks in my shoes every day: the gift of me, the gift of my life. Nothing else carnal or material would ever exceed that gift or ever outlive it.

I miss my Mom. I miss my Dad. And though this time of year will never be the same, it will always be special because of what they taught me it was supposed to be. It is about being thankful, loving, hopeful, and cherishing the magic of the season. It is about connecting with those you love and bringing a smile to someone’s face and joy to their day. I’m grateful for the people I have in my life, who love as hard, and as much, as my parents. I’ll never forget my folks, I’ll always remember them, especially during that magical season each year. I’ll never let those memories go. I’ll carry them, along with the new memories to come, with me until it is my time to I leave this world. Until then I’ll just ponder them in my heart and smile.

Published by Jeff

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