There are so many things I remember as a little girl. I remember Santa bringing my Barbie dream house.. complete with a red Ferrari and swimming pool. Yes, my Barbies were a bit high maintenance. I remember when Santa brought us a trip to Disney World. I remember many Christmas mornings with my parents, grandparents, and great grandparents.. who always came with garbage bags full of wrapped trinkets. I remember the delicious food at every place we went. I remember the Christmas my brother was born - 1990. Though he was born two days after Christmas, I still remember the day he came home in a Christmas stocking. I have so many magical memories of this holiday.
My favorite memory was Christmas Eve every year. I would wait in anticipation to make the short trip to my Grandma and Grandpa's house. We would eat dinner with my family, aunts, uncles, and cousins. A bangin' dinner at that. Grandma was a super good cook. We would view the Christmas Village my Grandma was so proud of.. and that my brother spent countless hours setting up perfectly for her. We would admire her perfectly decorated sparkly tree. Then came the gifts. I hunted every year to find the perfects gifts for them as I spent a ton of time at their house as I was growing up.
As we got older, the number of people in attendance dwindled as cousins got older and moved away, but it was still an evening I looked forward to.. probably more than anything. I loved the time I was able to spend with my grandparents and will cherish those nights for the rest of my life.
My Grandpa passed away a few years ago right before Thanksgiving, and that was hard. We still talked about him and everything we loved about him on Christmas Eve. He was like my second father.
After 29 years, this Christmas will be very different. Though I did not spend Christmas Eve with that family for the past two years, I still made it a point to call and talk to everyone. My wonderful Grandma lost her short battle with pancreatic cancer in May. This year, no one will gather at her house for Christmas Eve. I will not have the same phone call to make. I will not get to admire that Christmas Village that she was so incredibly proud of. We will not drive around and look at Christmas lights as a family after we leave her house. I will not get to see her smiling face on Christmas Day when we make the trip to my parent's house. Christmas will not be the same.
I miss her like crazy, but I am so grateful for the many memories she has left me with.. that I can and will cherish for the rest of my life. Here's to you, Grandma Ruth. I hope your tree is just a sparkly in Heaven.
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