Party brought memories of Christmas past

The annual Christmas party has come and gone. As usual, it was a real adventure.

 The day began with a nagging headache; nothing drastic, just enough to make me grumpy. I made some brownies which usually improves my mood. That didn’t work. I tried some aspirin and a nap. That helped for about an hour.

Part of the problem was that I kept remembering the year I had to miss the party because Mom had a doctor’s appointment. After her appointment I took her to lunch. I explained that I was upset at missing the only party I attend all year but that she was far more important than any gathering could be. I was missing her and wishing she was here to interfere with my plans.

I was not looking forward to the menu, either. We were having pizza cooked in a smoker. I do not care for smoked anything and the idea of smoked pizza sounded distinctly unappetizing.

Nevertheless, we packed up the brownies and presents and headed out. As we pulled into the driveway we saw colored lights bobbing down the sidewalk towards a cloud of smoke. I found out later that the lights were on a Christmas hat.

After everybody arrived, a prayer was offered. I soon found out that the pizza was delicious. I delighted in being wrong about expecting it to be otherwise.

The company was wonderful, as always. I met some new people and was secretly pleased when one of them said she reads this column. I am always surprised that you readers take the time to peruse these words and my heart is full of gratitude that you do.

The presents I had brought, a singing turkey and some paint palettes, were a hit. Actually, the turkey was a hit. The paint palettes were merely appreciated. I received a recycled card shuffler and a stick of wood. My husband received band-aides and glue.

The best gift was a nightie that makes its appearance every year. This year it was worn by a stuffed snowman. The top of the outfit was tight and since the snowman was rather shapeless, the tiny bottoms kept falling down. The recipient offered to share it with the rest of us but she didn’t get any takers.

The evening was over far too soon and we all went our separate ways.  My headache and accompanying grumpiness were gone. I still miss my mom, but accept that wherever she is, she is happy and pain-free.

Christmas will soon be here. I still have presents to buy and nothing has been wrapped. The camaraderie of the party fills me with the joy of the season. That, and the endless carols on the radio. As much as I love Christmas music, I do get tired of hearing the same songs umpteen times in the space of an hour. A little variety would be nice.

At the north pole the elves are wrapping up the last of the presents. They are bouncing off the walls from eating all the cookies Mrs. Claus has been baking.

Santa has been eating mostly vegetables. He did share some latkes with his friends during Hanukkah. They invited him back for noodle kugel after the holidays are over.

Santa relishes the feelings of love and sharing during the Christmas season. He doesn’t care if you believe in him or not. He doesn’t care if you believe in Christmas. He does want more than anything for all people to believe in each other. He wants us to be nice, to quit being so mean, Santa wishes the spirit of Christmas could last longer than a few days at the end of the year.

So do I.

Merry Christmas and God bless you, every one.