A Christmas Rant

Talking about memories...

I remember sitting on Grandpa's lap as he would read the Night Before Christmas. One year, we traveled to their house, and on Christmas Eve we realized we didn't have the book. I was in tears. Grandpa tried his best, but nobody could remember all the reindeer's names. He stumbled through the story somewhat... And it counted.

Now, my husband reads the Night Before Christmas. He has always told the kids stories using stuffed animals, with voices for each (he goes hoarse every time, but we all love it). Mr. Rabbit is a type A with a german accent, and Buster Brown is a stuffed dopey looking dog who is (and sounds) dumb as a rock. Those two tell the story with guest appearances by Pedro the taco bell loving mexican lizard, Pierre the french lizard (cousin to Pedro), Kevin the annoying brainiac kid, Mr. Lion, and gosh, I forget them all. With the divorce, half the time, we don't have the kids Christmas Eve, so sometimes the story is "The Night Before the Night Before the Night Before Christmas". Or, like this year, "The Day After, the Day After, the Day after the Night Before Christmas." lol No wonder Mike goes hoarse.

LOL that is too cute!

My parents have been divorced since I was 3, so I have always had multiple Christmases. I'd have the Mom one, Mom and Grandma and Grandpa one, the Dad and Stepmom one, and the Dad Extended Family one. So much food! And every Christmas was different. My mom and I would put the tree up at the last minute and she'd always play jazz music. My dad's extended family was HUGE and it was a total cacophony while everyone yelled who's present was being thrown where lol.

OK, I was saving this for closer to Christmas but.....

Once upon a time, there was a couple named Raymond and Paulyne. In 1944, they had a daughter that they named Raymona but sadly for them, Raymona's mission here on earth was accomplished in a short time. She contracted Polio during that horrific world-wide epidemic that began in 1949 and passed in 1950.
In 1951, they had a son that they named Dan and with that little bundle of renewed hope, began planning on having more children. When Dan was 6 months old, a particular medical problem that had plagued Paulyne since puberty began to worsen and with it came unwelcome news from her doctor. The doctor regretfully informed them that the only cure he could offer Paulyne was to perform a hysterectomy, which of course, would prevent her from ever having any more children. Raymond and Paulyne, being very spiritual people, prayed and meditated about this and both felt very strongly that Paulyne should not have the surgery and that indeed, she would again conceive.
As time went on, the medical problem worsened, Paulyne did not conceive and in 1953, she had to have emergency surgery to remove her left ovary and fallopian tube. Again, the doctor urged them to agree to a total hysterectomy, still insisting that given Paulyne's medical condition, "there was absolutely no way she would ever conceive again" and added that next time, she might bleed to death or develop gangrene. Again, Raymond and Paulyne prayed and meditated about it and still were given the same answer.
During all this, they had looked to adoption as a possible solution and had been actively pursuing that avenue. Raymond and Paulyne were professionally employed, successful people, well-respected and beloved leaders of the community, very active in their church...........in short, the empitome of the kind of people who were ideal candidates for adoption but strangely, attempt after attempt were met with obstacle after obstacle.......almost as if some cosmic force was telling them loudly and clearly that this was not going to happen.
Fast forward to Christmas Eve 1955. It was tradition for both sides of the family to gather at Paulyne's parent's farm for a huge Christmas celebration. As the story goes, Paulyne, her mother and her sister had gone to town for some last minute supplies and just about dark, were hurrying back to the farm. As they were going along, Paulyne was telling her mother and sister that she and Raymond had finally decided that they would abandon any further attempts at adoption and that after the New Year, Paulyne would finally agree to the surgery. Her mother, who had been looking out the window, watching the scenery, turned to her and told her that she would conceive that night, that the baby would be born September 27th. and that she would be named after Paulyne's maternal grandmother. Almost as an afterthought, she added that it would not be necessary for Paulyne to go through with the surgery because when the baby was 3 months old, Paulyne would go through menapause and would never again be plagued with the on-going medical problem. Now her mother's track record as a 'Frithir' (Gaelic for "seer") was nothing short of astronomical but Paulyne, despite that astronomical track record and her rock-solid belief in miracles, was having a great deal of difficulty in seeing this as anything but a beautiful fairy tale.
By the way............have I ever mentioned that I was born September 27, 1956, I am a she of the species and I was named after my maternal great-grandmother? Little side-note here: I was 3 months old when my mother began what the doctors like to refer to as "premature ovarian failure". In other words, she went through menapause and as a result, never had female problems again.
This is an absolutely 100% true story! I have Mum's old records that document the medical facts and Aunt Joyce is still around and is more than willing to vouch for the it all.