This Christmas - I'm Blessed!

It’s not that in past Christmases I haven’t been blessed; it’s just that this Christmas is “Blessed” on steroids. I know Jesus is the reason for the season. I understand and participate in the commercialization of Christmas. I’m familiar with gifts, the return policy of retailers, and the new craze of “re-gifting.”

I have Christmas memories. One Christmas I so wanted a horse and a horse wasn’t in the budget so my Daddy wrapped up a “road apple” (for you city folks - that’s a horse dropping) and told me the horse had gotten away. I remember Christmas at Fort Polk - with my Yankee friends amazed at the 80 degree weather. I remember Christmas Eve night in 1971 when I had to rush Miss Mickey to the same ER where her son and my best friend had died only months before. It was sad - so sad.

I remember Christmases with our children - Slade and Seth, playing Santa at nursing homes, the first Christmas in each of our homes as we evolved from our starter home to where we live now - our “finish” home (as in I hope when my time on earth is finished, I’ll still be in this home). I remember as a young boy the anticipation of Christmas - finding hidden packages, wetting the wrapping to see what was inside, or unwrapping a gift and rewrapping it to be sure Momma got it right. Memories…

My life has been blessed with gifts of growing up poor and the work ethic and appreciation of life that accompanies that experience, great memories, a good family, a great wife, work I love, close friends, and circumstances better than most.

The greatest gift received to date however is my children. I have two sons - Seth is home grown and Slade is hand-picked. A friend said once, “I love my kids, I wouldn’t take a million dollars for either of them but I wouldn’t pay a dime for another just like them.” I agree.

As a child I obsessed about presents - toys, candy, money, bikes, clothes, and all the other things that are important in and to our youth. Today I realize that “presents” are not important - “presence” is. This Christmas, Sheila and I will be gifted with the presence of both of our families and the next generations of each. The folks coming aren’t perfect but for us they are the perfect people to be with at Christmas.

At a more intimate level, Slade arrived Tuesday night with his intended - a beautiful, friendly, and delightful young lady named Danielle. Inside of her body and in our collective souls she is carrying the next generation of our clan. Now I realize that we must “re-gift” to her the son that is so important to us and he and Danielle will in turn will provide us with another gift - our first grandchild. On Friday a.m. Seth arrives to join his brother, Danielle, and the rest of us - to celebrate a most or more correctly, the most memorable holiday to date. Ain’t Christmas grand?

Welcome home Slade and Seth and welcome Danielle to our family. Our only return policy is - please do - as often as possible. Did I mention - I’m blessed?

Copyright - Michael G. Manes (December 2009)