Sitting here this early Christmas Eve morning reading all of the posts on facebook about how some people are missing their mothers this holiday season. I too am one of them. So many things I miss about my mother, way to numerous to count, but one of the most precious of memories involves the Christmas season.
Mom was an avid crafter. Although she didn't have much money left from her monthly check, she found bargains when there were none to be found by the average person. She had boxes and boxes of yarn, needles, eyeballs, fabric, doll heads, you name it, she had it.
These were her treasures and she took great joy in showing me just what new crafty thing she had just bought, or a new book of patterns that had just came in the mail. Sometimes her small little apartment looked like a Hobby Lobby store. One would do well to even find a place to sit down in her living room. When I close my eyes, I can still invision just what it looked like...partially made dolls lined up on the back of her couch, while a half crocheted afghan lay across the arm of a chair. Sewing machine light shining with bits of thread and scraps of fabric laying on the floor. Her heaven on earth.
Mom, though her funds were meager, always managed to give all of us, her kids, a Christmas box. She would spend months crafting and putting the items back for gifts. A week or so before Christmas she would spend all of her time baking cookies, banana bread, pumpkin bread, and candies of all sorts. She would then wrap the goodies in clear plastic wrap and tie a red bow around each one. There on her couch would be 5 boxes, lined up like Christmas soldiers,waiting patiently to be filled. She would then divvy out all of her crafty things and sweet treats amongst those boxes. On Christmas Eve morning she would give us all a call and say, "your Christmas box is ready, come and get it". One never knew just what might be included in that box of goodies.
One Christmas in particular that I remember was when she had come upon a mountain of fabric for free. I think maybe one of the local factories was closing down and she happened upon all of this free fabric, thread, elastic.etc. Well, she got an idea that she would make all of the men a pair of jogging pants for their Christmas gift that year. She sewed and sewed until she got them all finished in time. Wrapped lovingly with paper that she had saved from Christmas past, and placed each pair of joggers in the special box to whom they belonged. I will never forget when Don opened his gift...They were the sickest, most hideous color of pink one would ever imagine...kind of between a pink and orange color.
We laughed until we hurt over those pink jogging pants. But Don, being Don, put those babies on and wore them proudly. Made mom's day for sure, she was so proud of herself and her accomplishment. Matter of fact he wore those pants until he nearly wore them out, and our house fire took care of the remainder of them. We still have a laugh when we think about those pink jogging pants.
I believe this same year is when she sewed all of the younger kids a "Cabbage Patch" doll. She bought the heads, fabric, and doll pattern and she worked diligently to get each of the kids dolls finished in time for Christmas. Surprisingly they looked really good too. Actually you couldn't tell much difference in her homemade version and the real one other than they didn't have the certificate and the stamp on their butt. My girls kept theirs throughout their teen years and beyond, not sure if they still have them or not..
So, yes, I too along with so many others, miss my mom and dad during the holiday season. This time of year always stirs up those precious memories that are embedded so deeply in my mind and heart. Again, we are reminded of just how precious life is, and how we should enjoy every possible second of it. There is no time for the frivolous things that we get so caught up in. In the end, all we have left are the memories. Death is so final. There are no do overs to life, so make the most of what you have. Love your children, your spouse, your parents. Appreciate the smaller things life has to offer, for some day they may be the big things that you remember....................
