1 post tagged “kwanzaa”
Sigh...The Holidays! Oh, How I love Thanksgiving and Christmas time! Joy oh Joy...It actually snowed a little on Monday the First of December, I was so shocked and happy that I couldn't contain myself and actually jumped for joy! Living on the Tennessee/Alabama border usually means we don't get a lot of snow here. One year we had this really bad ice storm though. It broke windows, shut down the power and left us freezing and all on Christmas. I think that was the best Christmas we ever had here lol... It was soo great we where cut down to basics, the whole family huddled together trying to get warm, laughing, telling jokes, watching as my dad caught the Garage on fire. lol Ok, let me tell you about it:
It was Christmas Eve it had been storming all day and hale was hitting us hard. We had the TV on the weather channel most of the time, we played Monopoly, Clue and Scrabble as we waited to see how bad it was going to be when evening came. I was in awe at the time because it was freaking weird hearing thunder and seeing lightning lashes during December. So we decided to prepare just in case the power went out or something. Candles, Flash lights, lighters, and our trusty AM/FM radio... By 6pm the storm was reaching a new high even for us. We had warm soup on the stove, Homemade soup, mind you.
So as only could be expected the power went out with a huge BOOM! As our Transformer was fried. It was one thing for it to be fried, the hale fell harder and we lit candles, turned on flashlights, and made fun of our father as he hit his head trying to open the door to look outside. The storm grew worse, my mother gave us comfort by saying in her all knowing voice..."Watch your father get electrocuted." My mother always knows how to boost the moral of a group of people,God bless her. So as the clock hit 8pm, with soup in our stomaches and gathered in a huge mass of blankets and pillows in the living room in front of the Christmas tree, we fell asleep. We woke with a huge crash around 9:30pm. The window had been crushed, wind blew icy rain and hale into the house as we scrambled to patch the window. Now we had and draft and the winter weather was now more pronounced. So we ran to our rooms to put on layers of clothes, socks and shoes. Just in case....So we spent the next two hours freezing, trying to sleep and playing who can annoy Dad the fastest.
My dad soon became very tired of us picking and annoying him so he did what any man would do and made things worse. Down in our Garage sat a charcoal grill, on a shelf next to that grill was gasoline, and one of those long lighters. My father was never good in Science or math decided in his most authoritative voice.." I will make a fire to warm us up...I will put the grill on the steps (there was steps that lead up from the garage, they where old, they where wood) and I will be the hero of this Christmas!" Me, and my two eldest siblings looked at each other and the unanimously decided that moving away to the door leading out of the house would be a smart idea. We where right.
My mother followed my father, I will be darned if we didn't here cussing and shouting a 10 min. latter. I know my readers are smart so when I said that there was Gasoline+lighter+grill+wood stairs= a huge mess. We scrambled to open windows and doors, the garage door as well. We ran for watter as a huge fire blazed in the Garage. A while latter we sat coughing in the living room staring at my father as if he had lost his mind. It started with mom, we heard her snickering, then my brother, myself burst out into hysterical laughter my sister and dad following.
We realized latter that we where still shivering to death, the window was still busted, the garage still smelled like smoke and we where going to sick if we didn't get warm soon. So my father told us to get some things, we locked the doors and went to where my father works. There was a boiler room in the back building, which is where my father lead us to sleep. Shockingly we got a few ours of sleep, by the time the sun came up we where a little grumpy but still amused non-the-less. We went drove around a good part of the morning before going home...Our Christmas was delayed until the power was cut back on. Though that Christmas was the best one we had ever had in my opinion.
I think it doesn't matter where you are during this time of year, nor is it the presents you receive, Its who you are with that matters the most. I just loved the fact that I was with my family, that we where together on the day that means alot to myself and billions of other individuals. I think no matter what religion you are, no matter how you celebrate the day, what matters is what you gain from the people you are with and what they leave in your heart. So as we enter into this December, remember your loved ones that are no longer with you, the sick, poor and needy, think about how much you already have in your life, the freedom you have and the good days you have. Spread the love and the joy this time of year comes with. Hug your fellow shoppers, visit those elderly family members with smiles on your faces, give your worse enemy a big smile, a warm hug, and a seasons greetings. Let all the hate you have inside of yourself go and embrace the love that you have inside of yourself! Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! Happy Hanuka! Feliz Navidad! Happy Kwanzaa! and so on!
