And This Is Christmas..
on September 4th this Year
And is so celebrated by David L Lewis and 35 others
No trains involved, but by planes and automobiles (and one U-Haul) they began to arrive. If protocol holds, some 30 to 40 men, women, and children will transverse to grandma’s house over next 72 hours [sleds not required]. Our kids tell me we are going to celebrate family Christmas this year on Labor Day. As always, there is more to the story.
We moved to Indiana July 4 1996. At that time we had two sons here in Brazil, two sons still living in St Louis, and our daughter planning to attend Evansville University. We had two young grandchildren. As this daddy doesn’t travel well, the logical place to gather for Christmas was our 3-bedroom mobile home. As years passed a gathering of the clan at grandma’s house became our family tradition. As those years passed that clan grew, as clans do, exponentially.
Here are some observations on that growth as reflected in my writings at the time:
2009 we had moved to a 2-bedroom house.
Our children were no longer spread around the world, but complexity continued in scheduling a day when all five can come to Indiana. We had in our home five children, four of world’s best daughter-in-laws, one smarter-than-he-looks son-in-law, nine (as of then) grandchildren, my sister and her husband and two exchange students, one of my favorite nieces with her husband and two sons. A family gathering of some 29 crowded into our two-bedroom house. This is Christmas.
2010 was point at which everyone sledding to grandma’s house for Christmas was getting out of hand.
For Christmas Susan-the-lawyer was delegated “eldest-daughter-in-charge”. She arranged for hotel reservations for her family, three of our sons and their families, and for my sister and husband plus two exchange students. On Christmas Eve there were a total of two infants, seven children, 19 alleged adults, and two visiting dogs in our two-bedroom, one bath home. This is Christmas.
2011 was year we moved this herd of cats to Fellowship Hall at Christ Community Church.
There would be too many for our small home. Susan arranged family gathering. She invited everyone I care about, everyone whom I would want to see if this were going to be the last Christmas.
2014 turned out to be last time the magnificent seven all rode together.
This year our children and their families are now spread from Seattle to Baltimore; all with families of their own. Our two youngest now have small children of their own who must be introduced to the great mystery of Christmas.
2018 saw the head-count increasing and meaning of Christmas personified.
They came from one side of continent to the other. And there we were, from 4 months to 75 years, 44 soles who cared for each other. We talked, laughed, the kids under 10 ran around; all ate much of the too much food; there were games to play, and gifts to open; a church Fellowship Hall to clean. No beneath the surface family feuds; the only cries coming from the two resident babies. As is said, a (really) good time was had by all.
2022 we met at a BnB on Raccoon Lake.
Enough room for everyone, less travel back and forth to hotels for some. And, there were a lot of fun things to do when you’re having party near a lake, but not in December. A committee of which I was not a member determined this was the best place to celebrate Christmas, if you do it when weather is warmer. So, the 2023 Christmas gathering at grandma’s house will be at that BnB on the lake, in warm weather, on Labor Day.
I’ve always believed it best for our children to have Christmas at home with their own babies and grand-babies. This is why long ago we changed from coming on Christmas eve to whatever day we could conveniently get 35 or so people together at one time and in one place. But, Labor Day?
Merry Christmas to all! I think.
theConfusedGreatGranddaddy!
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