Nine Days Til Christmas

The Gayla Pink Apple

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Nine Days Til Christmas

I decided to share a Christmas memory each day for the 12 days leading up to Christmas day.  There's no order - just a random Christmas thought or memory --- today it's 9 days til...
 A Christmas Memory

Christmas with my husband's family was on Christmas Day.  That meant, after I married, I wasn't always able to go to my father's side of the family (my Pawpaw.)  But, during the early years of my married life, we would drive to his house Christmas evening for leftovers. 

My in-laws were very nice people.  Of course, as you can imagine, this was not 'my' traditions, etc.  In the beginning I felt a little bit like an outsider - perhaps my own fault - but it is how I felt.  However, over the years, I grew to love my mother-in-law's cooking and especially her turkey and cornbread dressing. She was not into cooking like the women I was used to in my family.  She prepared only what she thought was going to be consumed and no extras.  :)

My sister-in-law always - and I mean always - brought her cranberry salad -- that is what my mother-in-law called it anyway.  I, on the other hand, always - and I mean always - thought I had to have jellied cranberry sauce from a can.  I guess I didn't realize that if you had cranberry salad, you didn't need my jellied cranberry sauce. LOL!   I mean, afterall, in my family we would have both!  Looking back, the cranberry salad was much better than can of jellied cranberry, but I liked the can stuff and still do. One year, I brought my own can of jellied cranberry sauce.  Believe me, every year from then on, my mother-in-law always, and I mean always, had a can of jellied cranberry sauce in addition to my sister-in-law's cranberry salad!   :)

My mother-in-law had a kind and loving way about her - but, she never stopped talking.  My father-in-law was kind and gentle, and when he talked you listened, because what he usually had to say was welcomed.  He treated my mother-in-law like a queen and I greatly admired their love and sweetness to each other.   I have to admit, sometimes I tuned out my mother-in-law because she talked so much.  She asked a thousand questions.  She was the queen of the house - the center of attention - the star of the show.  And, you know what? She was entitled to be the queen too.  It was her house and her show!   I say those words with respect and love to her. 

Her son and daughter loved her beyond words - both were very dedicated to her.  Her two granddaughters also loved her to the moon and back.  I was the only in-law, and yes, I loved her, but could not compete with the son, daughter, and two granddaughters!  She was very good to me.  She cooked dinner weekly - packed it in her car - drove it to my house during my chemo days. She was always there for my family and me.

My mother-in-law kept my daughter when she was a baby while I returned to work.  I left my job when my daughter was two and became a stay-at-home Mom for a long time.  My in-laws were fantastic grandparents. My father-in-law passed when my daughter was 2 1/2 years old.  My mother-in-law spent a lot of time playing and doting over Blair. 

My husband took his Mother to lunch every Thursday and they had a very special mother/son bond - which I admired.  I wish all mothers could spend one-on-one time with their adult married sons.  It was indeed a special date for my mother-in-law.  She told my husband she hoped she would live to see Blair graduate.  She did - but, she died a few weeks later at the age of 82.  My daughter graduated high school in May and my mother-in-law passed away four weeks later.  She is greatly missed and especially during the Christmas season.

Blair and Grandma Mart

Semi-homemade ornament on our tree!
 

My daughter's middle name is my mother-in-law's maiden name.  I always thought a little girl needed a connection to the women of her father's side of the family.  She used to say not just every daughter-in-law would name their child after their mother-in-law.  That was the greatest compliment to hear!  I wrote her a thank you note in 1981 - the year I married her son.  When she died in 2008 - I found the thank you note inside a small photo album of our wedding.  She had kept it all those years! 

A bittersweet post today as we no longer have a family get together on my husband's side - but we indeed have nice memories.   Hope you are enjoying this Christmas season.  Thank you for walking down memory lane a little bit the past few days. 

Have you been naughty or nice? He sees you when you're sleeping; he knows when you're awake! 

Santa Claus is coming to town,

Gayla