12
The War Cry | DECEMBER 2014
However, one phone call brought my hopes for the
day crashing down. It was the nursing home. My
grandmother had died. How dare my grandma ruin
my perfect Christmas? Couldn't she at least have
waited one more day?
From the distance of a few decades, my childish
reaction seems incredibly uncaring and selfish, and
I hope that I didn't complain aloud to my dad.
But it's a feeling that nudges its way into Christmas
more often than we want it to--especially when
the car won't start, the kids are fighting, someone
drinks too much or Uncle Norman storms out of
the house when insulted. We carry that childhood
dream of the perfect holiday into our hopes for
our family gatherings, and we walk away nursing
a bitter disappointment because our Christmas
was "ruined."
The myth of the perfect holiday needs a dose of
reality. As author Pepper Schwartz, reminds us,
"Holidays in general breed unrealistic expectations.
The minute you start wondering, `Is it going to be
wonderful enough?,' it never will be." I've learned a
few things since that imperfect Christmas that
might help:
n the winter of my tenth year, I was
ready for the most perfect Christmas
ever. We'd open presents at home,
have brunch at Aunt Annamae's house
and then meet up with all the cousins
at Aunt Florence's. I loved the bottles of
orange and purple pop bobbing in the ice
in the laundry tubs and all the desserts the
aunts made--especially the mile�high coco-
nut cake. I'd been practicing my Christmas
carols and was hoping my cousin George
would let me play one or two as we gathered
around the piano and sang. And then there
were the presents...
by
MAJOR
JOANN SHADE
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11/14/14 12:27 PM