Christmas past and present

Lots of changes happened in the last year, and so we changed up Christmas.  But in point of fact, it was not so much a change as a reversion to Christmases past, but with a twist.

We had not spent Christmas Day in Carmi since Max was
one year old, which puts it at 1981.  When Emily arrived in 1983, we declared that our family would have Christmas at home, and whomever wished to join us were warmly invited.  That meant two sets of grandparents were automatically on board from then on.

This year, though, Emily was in Gettysburg, PA, with Steve H.'s family.  Mary Lou is sadly not with us, and my mom and dad did not feel like making the trek to Webster Grove having just been here for Thanksgiving.  So we packed up and went over the river and through the woods to their house, with Papaw Jack in tow.  He also felt the circling of life, as he and Steve A. went to church in his  hometown, Galatia, with his old friend Buddy Peyton in the pulpit giving the message. Max and his girlfriend, Jen, were the "youngsters" and it was jolly time with my two brothers, Bill and Rob.  Bill's family including Aric and April made our table complete.

Christmas Eve dinner was an homage to all the Christmas Eves of my childhood spent at Big Mimi's house.  Cheeses, tuna salad, a nice pork pate, gingersnap cookies - all reminders of lovely past Christmases.