Christmas then and now
Reader Comments
Fabulous memories…..many aren’t as lucky as you but I will pretend I was a member of your family
Thanks for sharing—sorry I’m so late reading this article. I think about you and your family often and wish I knew all of you better. I firmly believe that memory is what keeps us all alive.
just got around to reading your piece from Christmas, and loved it.
MaggieMahone
Sarah, today is the Third Day of Christmas and I just had to read your Christmas story again. Some of those memories are mine, too, so I’ve decided I want to read your wonderful piece again on each of the remaining nine days of Christmas, until Twelfth Night on January 6.
Sarah, I loved your article!
Sad and sweet at the same time. But I will tell you what, it really made me appreciate the people in my life and rethink what spending time with them on the holidays mean. Because of my work schedule, I always opt to work the holidays.
However, now, I will start to plant the seeds that my mother initially sowed in me, in my husband and children.
Beautiful Article!!!!
Thank you for sharing your memories with us.
Sarah-how very lonesome you sound! Go, THIS WEEKEND, and get those treasured ornaments out from wherever you have them hidden! Share them with your daughter and tell her how much and why you love them. Those beautiful memories don’t have to be yours, alone, if you pass them along. Your treasures will become hers and one day those ornaments will be precious to her, too. With the exception of losing a child, I think losing your mother is the worst thing that can happen to someone. I lost mine about the same time you did. I know they would want us to carry on with at least some of their traditions and pass along the
memories as we make new ones. I hope you have a truly merry Christmas this year!
I enjoyed reading your piece. I still have a wooden star with glitter that I drag out each Christmas because I remember it hanging in my grandmother’s window and I can’t bear to throw it away. The passage of time must be marked with changes, as you said, but we need the past to remind us of who we are. Thanks for the memories!
I enjoyed reading your piece. I still have a wooden star with glitter that I drag out each Christmas because I remember it hanging in my grandmother’s window and I can’t bear to throw it away. The passage of time must be marked with changes, as you said, but we need to past to remind us of who we are. Thanks for the memories!
Your beautifully written article does bring back memories of my own magical Iowa Christmases. Mothers do make those memories happen don’t they? I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but now as a mother/grandmother I understand the effort and unconditional love that go into making the magic year after year.
Lovely thoughts. I’m reaching for a tissue as my face pains from laughing. What a nice rendition, that is opening just as much wonder for me as you, about memories and meanings and family, then and now. Damn you, Sarah, more to think about. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. It was truly touching.
Your story made me pine for my own memories of childhood Christmases. Your vivid recollections and lessons learned have caused me to reevaluate my own feelings about what is really important during this time of the year. Last Christmas we paid hommage to my husband’s English roots by pulling the beautifully wrapped “crackers” that explode with various surprises and paper fortunes. We spent Christmas dinner wearing our various colored paper crowns and laughing at our silliness. We’ll do it again this year and probably make it a tradition!
Well, I wasn’t going to put up any decorations this year, but this article makes me feel guilty if I don’t. What a great piece that awakens notalgia for Christmas past. Thanks, Sarah. Nice work.
What a great piece! Thank you for sharing your creativity and feelings with the world. It is a better place because of you.
Oh, I’m ready to hang the stockings and start cooking the chocolate-mint fudge after reading this essay. Thanks for opening the holiday season for me.
What a fabulous article. Losing someone you love leaves this hole in your heart that feels as though it can never be filled. However, starting your own traditions and remembering what is important is what really matters. It sounds like you have a great grasp on that. Thanks!
