Elena 
That’s Rosie’s new phrase that she loves to say to anyone who will listen, “Merry Christmas, ho ho ho!” I think she enjoyed her Christmas this year. She didn’t get a lot of stuff, but I got her this play farm set with lots and lots of little parts, so that’s like getting a lot of stuff isn’t it? She has a barn and a cow and a pig, and a goat, and a farmer and his wife, and all kinds of plastic vegetables and things. That has kept her pleasantly occupied for much of the last 24 hours.
I did discover that Rosie only considers her Barbie dolls as bath partners. Her Christmas Barbie was no exception. She tore off her beautiful princess gown and threw her in the bathtub. Which is great because I don’t have to buy her a lot of doll clothes and accessories. She does however insist that we shampoo all of those Barbies before we shampoo her, so we have had to make a three Barbie limit.
My other little girl had a very grown up sort of Christmas. She didn’t get a single doll or toy, but she received A LOT of crafting supplies and she was positively thrilled. That girl is a crafter. It is in her bones. I foresee many many interesting and exciting projects for her in 2009.
Gabe too had a very adult type of Christmas. He received primarily clothing. And he needed it. Gabe takes after his German, Lithuanian heritage. He has a long body and short sturdy legs. Unfortunately since he is the third son and coming after two boys who took after their father’s ultra lean body type (we’re talking 30-36 jeans and 170 pounds at age 18) there wasn’t much to pass down to Gabe. I was mortified a few weeks ago to note that his dress pants had no button at the top of his waist band and that there was a big slit from the hem of one leg up above the top of his shoe. I’m not sure why he never mentioned that to me, but now he has some great looking dress pants, a new pair of jeans and some nice shirts. He even had a tie for Christmas.
Calvin got some weight lifting gloves that he had wanted. Noah got a skate board and a nerf gun that can shoot 20 nerf bullets in minutes. Sam received the electric guitar he had been wanting. Mr. Pete designed and made a lamp out of a musical instrument for one of his customers and in lieu of payment, got this guitar in trade. So he was very pleased.
Mr. Pete and I didn’t get much for each other. We were more concerned about nice things for the kids. I framed one of the pictures I shot of Rosie last summer that he liked so much. He got me a black sweat suit and some bedroom slippers. I think he saw me put a sweater over my big flannel night gown with my tennis shoes and socks to go down and start the laundry. This might be his comment on the appropriateness of that look when he is at home! But the suit is comfy and the slippers are firmly on my feet, so it was a good pick!
I did manage to survive the three-mass marathon over Christmas Eve and Christmas. My hat is off to the sacristans, deacons and priests and other musicians who do this every year because it was literally physically exhausting. But it was wonderful too. I loved the different feel to each liturgy and the beautiful music. I only had one little screw up during the prelude to midnight mass, but I don’t think anyone noticed. I am really going to miss putting my flute away now that Christmas is over.
There was one bittersweet part of Christmas this year. Izzy’s friend T, sang with the Children’s choir. T is not Catholic. She is a neighborhood girl who plays with Izzy every single day after school. They are quite the odd couple. T is African-American who stands head and shoulders above Izzy. She is a very good reader too while Izzy still struggles with that. Nonetheless, T faithfully went to all of the choir practices, sang at Lessons and Carols and went with us to Christmas Eve mass to sing with the children’s choir. She said that her mom and dad were going to be there too. She said she saw them from the choir loft, but when we came down they were no where to be found. She said that they just didn’t wait for her, but I wonder if they were even there.
Last night, Aaron, T’s oldest brother, who is a friend of Sam’s called. It turns out that neither Aaron, or T or their other brother got anything for Christmas and he was a little sad about it. I know their dad was in the hospital for a few weeks and one of the kids said he just recently lost his job too. Their mom works as a maid. So it very well could be that they just didn’t have any money for Christmas this year and that makes me a little sad for them. I did get a little Christmas money yesterday and I’m thinking that I might go get each of them a little something. I can’t do a lot and I certainly don’t want to offend their parents, but I’m thinking maybe a sweater or something for the oldest boy and a book for T and her other brother since they are such good readers.
As tough as things get for us sometimes, I need to be reminded that there are people who have greater needs than I do and some of them are in my own community. So if we can help them this year, I’d like to try.
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