It's Christmas, fer Pete's sake

I lived most of my life in upstate New York and enjoyed many white Christmases there. I now live on a boat in Georgia. It's forecast to be in the 70s on Christmas day. There is nothing white nor traditional about Christmas for me here.

One holiday tradition I have, though, is to think back on Christmases past that I spent with my family.  I particularly like the photo below.

It was 1959 at my great-grandma's house in Lansingburgh, NY. My grandfather is on the left, next to my great-grandmother, then my mom (she was only 30 and "expecting" with my sister), and my dad's uncle. My grandpa had his glass of beer as well as a cigarette. Behind him are Christmas cards taped around the doorway. A small copy of the Last Supper is on the wall on the right. A jar of my mom's canned pickles is on the table. I remember this day well, even though I was only nine years old.


They're all gone now, but I have many fine memories of Christmases past to remember them.  The laughter, the love, the food... the joy of being a family.

I hope today's Christmas will be a memorable one for you and your loved ones.  Merry Christmas to you, from everyone here on Drift Away.

Honestly, I'm looking forward to Christmas 2013 where I hope I'll be posting to this blog from Bleecker, NY... sitting in front of a roaring fire in the wood stove, snow falling outside... me complaining about the snow and cold..  a Norman Rockwell kind of utopia.

Yes.  I am a hopeless romantic.  I enjoy being a hopeless romantic.  I am the king of hopeless romantics. If there was a hopeless romantic flag, I would fly it proudly.  If you're a guy reading this, c'mon... admit it.  You know it's true.  You miss the ghosts of Christmases past.  There's nothing about Christmas memories that makes you less manly.  Go ahead.  Today is a perfect day.  Dig out your old photo album from 50 years ago and think about Christmases past.  The funny parts, the loving parts... it's Christmas, fer Pete's sake.  It's OK.

- Dave