Letters

Enjoy Christmas as long as you can

It’s Christmas again. I just want to remind everyone how quickly these seasons pass. If we’re lucky, we have maybe 85 Christmases in our lifetime. That sounds like quite a few. However, we have only 18 with a child. And even worse, only about 10 of those do they even want to be around us at Christmas. Only 10 years, that’s far too few.

My children are grown with their own families, but I keep thinking they still want to be around me. Hah! They don’t, not really. They have their own lives and want to celebrate Christmas in their own way (or not at all.) They have great excuses like working odd shifts and not having normal days off. I appreciate them using those excuses rather than telling me the truth, “Mom, I love you, but our time together has passed.”

I am a hopeless romantic. I still keep hoping to have a Christmas when we are all together again, sitting around one large table with all the trimmings well within reach, so no one will have to leave the table to get more.

I was actually silly enough to plan that this year. Even though I don’t have a big house or big table, I looked forward to just being together. I wanted to do it all. What lofty dreams we silly old people have! Not only did one of my children not want to be around me at Christmas this year, he doesn’t want to be around any of his family this year, or last year, or the year before that either. He finally admitted he doesn’t like Christmas at all. He doesn’t believe in it.

I have to respect his beliefs, but it hurts and saddens me. Maybe he’s right, “Our time together has passed.” I guess my beliefs are changing, too. Christmas is not about family, so much as it is about Jesus.

Remember, cherish those 10 years with your child. God bless you and Merry “Christ” mas.

Paula Winniford

Sagle, Idaho