Merry Christmas

Filled with tradition, this holiday always brings back memories of some of my favorite family times.

One Christmas Memory

I have always been a mama’s boy.

Growing up with six other siblings, and a father that enjoyed drinking a little too much, I learned to be the “codependent”, and I was damn good at it.

One Christmas day, I vividly remember standing behind my mother as she chided my father for almost setting the house on fire.

We had opened all of the gifts, and my father had started a fire in the fireplace (one of three fireplaces on the first floor of this fine old house were we used to live in Massachusetts). He decided it would be a good idea to burn the wrapping paper in the fireplace instead of putting it in the garbage.

Despite my mother’s warnings, he put more and more wrapping paper onto an increasingly roaring fire. Once he realized he had put in a few too many, it was almost too late.

The flames began to grow higher and higher until they started to lick at the underside of the formerly white painted mantel. The paint had just started to darken with soot, when they began to died down, and the fire came back under control.

My mother stood with her arms akimbo, with that “I told you so” look on her face. I stood behind her, arms crossed muttering, “what was he thinking?” to anyone within earshot.

I hope your Christmas was filled with traditions, warmth and fond memories of your childhood.