Wednesday, December 25, 2013

The Christmas Spirit

     Tonight is Christmas Eve; and this is the time of year that everyone experiences the time of joy, the hustle & bustle of last-minute Christmas shopping, and the Christmas Spirit. This is the time of year that family time is front page news, and to the forefront of everyone's priorities. Gathering around the table, your whole family, and a warm, home-cooked meal. The landscape is shimmering with beauty from the snow falling upon the trees, and the bitter cold eats away our bodily warmth - A gift, but a curse Winter is. Christmas cheer is in the air from all the attitudes of giving to others, giving people the feeling of satisfaction of their souls. Christmas music is on in every department store, and Christmas movies are on every channel. Who doesn't love "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", or my personal favorite song, "Carol of the Bells"? A lot of people love Christmas because of the spirit it brings, the attitude that falls upon the crowd, and for everything it represents. Many people love to give, like myself, to other people because they love to see the smile on their face or the happiness it brings them.
     Tonight, my mother, sister & her boyfriend went to my mother's boyfriend's house to spend Christmas Eve. Her boyfriend's two kids (daughter and son) were also there. It was a first meet for most of us, but it ended being quite a fun time. We sat around talking to each other at first, breaking the ice a little bit; which for me is not hard. I don't mind talking to anyone, even if I had just met them; I actually enjoy it. We joked around, talked about random things, a little about life - it was grand really. My mom and her boyfriend had been working with the dinner for a while now. Then finally, dinner had been served. It was excellent, and it came with my favorite thing - mashed potatoes. I absolutely love them! We also had Hawaiin rolls, the Honey Spiral Ham, cream corn, and greenbean casserole. For dessert, we had my favorite, and one of my mom's specialty, Oreo Cheesecake Pie. It was all delicious. On top of everything, I was drinking Pink Moscato. I love that Moscato. However, the brand of this wine was Barefoot, which isn't the highest quality, but cheap. It tasted like sparkling juice. It wasn't bad tasting, it just didn't feel like wine. I had quite a few glasses.
     After dinner, we played a game relative to Apples to Apples, but this game is called Cards Against Humanity. It's basically the rated R version of Apples to Apples. It can be a very offensive, dirty, and hilarious game. It's not for the easily offended,but it's my kind of game. It's up to my level, and can keep up to my face. We all had a very hysterical time; laughing so hard, we'll get abs the next morning; poking jokes at each other; and going with the adventure of the night. Everything was such a fun time, with fun people, and with family. After we finally called it for the game, we opened presents. Everyone got at least, if not two. My mother is a very generous soul, as she bought most of the presents handed out. I received a new scarf and dress shirt. I actually have my scarf on, while writing this.
     Now, about 6 years ago now, I made a tradition for our family, an Irish tradition. Your family gathers around the table and you fill up a shot glass, usually with Captain Morgan for us. Then I say 3 words in Gaelic, the Irish language - Love, Friendship, & Loyalty. They are the meanings of the Irish Claddagh ring. The three Gaelic words are Gra, Dilseacht, Cairdeas. Not everyone did the shot, but it still was achieved. After that, our night was ending fairly quickly, wrapping up on a good note. We said our goodbyes, and everyone ended up having a fantastic time. 
     As you become an adult, Christmas gets less & less magical it seems. Adult life takes over; commitments, meetings, jobs, and obligations. It just comes with the territory I suppose, no matter how sad it may seem. However, this night made some of the magic come back, with the family time & the time of giving. Some of the cheer has returned, and my Christmas spirit is flourishing back as well. I'm glad that I got to see my family so happy tonight, and full of laughter. It was a great night, and I'm sure many more are to come.

     Spend all the time you can with your family, because you don't know what might happen next. Give to everyone you can, because you don't know who might need it. Most of all, love the people close to you, because you will see all the happiness that embraces them.


Sincerely,
A Dreaming Dietitian

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