A season of sharing
As we head into the month of December, we at the Chronicle are calling for submissions of your favorite Christmas memories. We would love to share with the community what has made a memorable impression at the holiday season. Please submit these to edit@shepherdstownchronicle.com so that we can share with others.
To get the ball rolling, this week I will share just a moment of joy experienced in my own memory. It started with waking to snow on Christmas morning! You see, each year, at least for the past 25 that I have been a part of the lovely family I married into, our holiday has included the tradition of gathering Christmas afternoon with the Milbourne clan to eat. Initially in Leesburg, Va., we have now moved to Bolivar (which is a blessing and a curse, but that’s a story for another day).
While I love my family, sometimes, as I am sure you can imagine, the hectic nature of the day just wears one out! A few years ago, although I can’t remember what year exactly, the sight of snow falling and falling and falling allowed me to have a relaxing, quiet Christmas at home without the rush of visiting, preparing extra food or driving somewhere!
The quiet outdoors enjoyed from my back porch with a cup of coffee in hand and my husband by my side stands out as a true favorite. This all occurred, of course, after our children woke us at 4 a.m. to rush downstairs to open gifts! They returned to sleep or to play with new toys, leaving us to enjoy the beauty and peacefulness as the snow drifted down.
The phone call came that dinner was canceled and the relief of stress that we didn’t have to travel on potentially dangerous roads and we didn’t have to rush enveloped me. I was able to enjoy my own gifts, a nap and a quiet dinner around my own table.
Don’t get me wrong, I am a lover of tradition and I look forward to our Christmas (and Thanksgiving) gatherings each year, but this one Christmas stands out as a unique one where I was able to enjoy the solitude of my own home (as much of that as there can be with my four children in the house) and the slow pace of a beautiful white Christmas.
Please join me in sharing your precious memories with others by submitting them for publication. We would love to hear what has made your Christmases memorable!