The Ghosts Of Christmas

Is this what happens when you get older? Everything reminds you of something else? There's no way that I can not compare the family Christmas to Dickens's Christmas Carol. All the ghosts were there.

The ghosts of the past were represented at dinner. Tina has the charming practice of setting out hand-written place cards at the big dinner and since the core group remains pretty much the same, she saves the cards to use the following year. The place cards of those who are no longer with us - mothers, fathers, uncles - now rest on the top shelf of the china cabinet looking down on the dinner table.

They were there in the food that was served, too. Although it's been a long time since the dishes were strictly Lithuanian-American - the mid-east has infiltrated the menu and its here to stay - all the old moms' dishes were there, even Sam's old mom.

The ghost of the Christmas Present showed up when someone noticed that traditional Polish practice of keeping an empty place setting for the Baby Jesus resulted in the Jesus placecard set up side by side with the one for Mohammed (a regular Mohammed, not the famous one). This Mohammed, despite his inclination to take in everything he learns about life in America and cobble it into a future that combines his heritage with his new country of residence, was also extremely skeptical of the chocolate baklava, just like Sam was. So - common ground.

The ghost of a changed future has been hanging over us in the form of a great job for my son. The field is in the specialty that he's been studying for 6 years and the job itself fits the topic of his master's thesis pretty closely. It's in California, which is both good and bad. All parents will understand without further explanation. We'll know by the end of January what the decision is.

So there we have it. Christmas is over and the new year will bring changes for me, too. First a pesky health issue to get out of the way next week and then full steam ahead in my new position at work. Both things may impact my blogging time, so see ya when I see ya.

p.s. - I got a Pashmina for Christmas.

p.p.s. - Also, a Purse Brite. w00t!

Comments

[toxiclabrat]

I bought my pashmina in Turkey. I was seduced by it all. The fact that the entire thing could slip through my ring justified me buying it. Where I will wear it is a whole other issue, but I just had to have it

[Karan]

I like pashmina on toast.

[cas]

I think traditions are important. They're what (hopefully) holds a family together. And in today's world, that's quite an accomplishment.

Thanks for sharing yours.

Happy New Year.
Cas
and best of luck with the health issue.