Page 10 DeeDee Davis, Contributing Writer
Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays….. How true it is, except what exactly is “home”? Norman Rockwell would probably paint it with parents piling their children and pets into station wagons as they prepared to drive for hours to get back to their own roots with mom and dad. Snow would be a requirement as well as plenty of homemade treats, familiar albums of Christmas music playing on the stereo, and a tree covered with ornaments from childhood. Mom would probably be wearing an apron when everyone arrived and Dad would most likely be in a recliner by the fire watching football. I do remember those days but, my, how things have changed. Becoming a grown-up means taking everything life has dished out and making the very most of every precious second. No one plans on divorce, death, or year round baseball and cheerleading, but all of these things have a way
of redefining time-honored importance of a home cooked tradition. When my children Christmas dinner; regardless were very small, we always of what day we dined. Since made the annual holiday trek Christmas day conflicts to north Alabama where my such as sharing the kids parents lived. I come from a with an ex or time required large family and for the longest at the hunting camp create time, all of us miraculously challenging schedules, we are were able to be together for rarely together anymore on a period of time during the the big day. We do, however, holidays. It was great fun being try to have the family feast in a crowded noisy house, on December 23 before passing on sacred family everyone scatters. This change traditions to our own kids. My was hardest on my youngest mother still hangs the same brother who still believes there tacky, priceless pieces we made is no excuse for anything short in grammar of a total reschool on creation of Becoming a the tree. To our youth. this day, But to grown-up means none of manage the taking everything life stress level us claim the ugly has dished out and that seems angel that to surface in making the very most December, topped the evergreen concessions of every precious for years had to second. and was be made. retired only Additionally, when one I have to wing came loose. She now admit that one year I took my has her own tissue-lined box children to a nice restaurant and is available for display for the holiday dinner and if it only. Semi-gone, but never weren’t for the guilt I feel when forgotten. Many years ago looking into my mother’s eyes, I I opted for a more designer would not mind that becoming type tree, but I always put up a a new tradition. Unfortunately, smaller one that shows off all while my kids are thoroughly the treasures my children so modern and appreciated that proudly brought home from one unique outing, they are school. My son’s toilet paper old fashioned enough to want roll nutcracker soldier holds green bean casserole and sweet a permanent spot among the potatoes with praline topping. glittering decorations. Money Mercifully, I have a husband can’t buy something like that. who loves to cook and now we gladly host the entire mob for Mom also instilled in us the
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Opinion piece: the views expressed in this article are solely of the writer and not representative of Pensacola Magazine
10 | DECEMBER 2022
dinner at our home. The lesson here is that at some point we let our children take over. This is when we really learn what they are all about and what they consider worthy of passing on. To this day, when my grown daughter comes over for the holidays, she likes to nap by the fire under her baby blanket with “Christmas in Dixie” softly playing. That song is not my favorite and I long ago substituted Harry Connick Jr, Michael Buble and Diana Krall as my holiday albums of choice. But there is something so wonderful and so peaceful about seeing her curl up while her brother surfs through sports channels on a muted television that I could listen to Alabama sing for the rest of my life. You think your kids don’t care about tradition or that they even notice, and then something like this happens and you realize they have internalized the joy after all. Holidays can get you down if you’re not careful because it is easy to get lost on memory lane as you wander through the past. Take advantage of change and make new and better traditions for yourself and for your family. And don’t forget the nap blanket. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to you all!