The holidays are a special time of year for so many people.  Not all of the ‘special’ times are good, happy or joyful.  For some, this time of year is especially difficult.  So as I reflect on the season this year, I’m working to keep everything in perspective; to really think about the meaning of Christmas, what’s happened in 2017, to thank the people who’ve made my life special this year, to work on sending extra positive thoughts and healing prayers to those who may need it and to create more time with the people I love.

I am fortunate that I had the opportunity to go see my mom’s family in Missouri.  It brings my mom joy; anytime I can get to see her and this time my visit was also spent with close and distant relatives I don’t see often enough.

My mom grew up in Hannibal, Missouri, the boyhood home of Mark Twain; a sleepy town along the Mississippi river that really is America’s Hometown.  Most of my mom’s family, if not still living in Ralls County there, lives within a few hours’ drive.   My Aunt Dena now lives right down on Main Street in Hannibal!  She and her husband Dennis spearhead the Whitaker family Christmas gathering every year, on the weekend that her home town holds its Living Windows display.

Hannibal celebrates a Victorian Christmas the entire month of December, but on this Saturday, Main Street draws everyone outside!  There are horse drawn sleigh rides, trolley rides, a Babes In Toyland children’s parade, visits with Santa and those ‘Living Windows’.  Most of the businesses along Main Street, which is closed to traffic for the evening, fill their street side display windows with characters acting out scenes or doing something that goes with the season!  This year, the windows of the Mark Twain Museum sprang to life with Santa’s Elves, making toys.  My cousin Angie donned the most adorable elf outfit and toiled away with the others, on the toy line, for children walking by to peer inside, to see if their favorite toy might be there somewhere to eventually make it to Santa’s sleigh and into their homes!

The quilt shop featured ladies at their machines creating warm quilts, sure to be passed down through the generations.  I still have the one my grandmother made me when I was a child.  In another window, a young lady sat playing with two of the most adventurous little kittens.  Another window featured puppies!  There was a hot chocolate stand and a cotton candy machine cranking out fluffy, colorful, air spun sugar for the kids!  Down the street, at the new soap g\factory, similarly dressed elves cranked out brightly colored bath bombs.  Across the street, at the antique mall, Santa and Mrs. Clause greeted everyone who braved the cold to come downtown.   It was cold this year for sure ; it felt like 24 degrees outside, but families and generations of all ages bundled up, some, like me and my brother, donning Santa hats, to brave that crisp air while strolling Main Street, laughing and giggling, gobbling cotton candy and running into old friends while making a few new ones!  It’s literally like living your own Hallmark Movie!

We did it all on full bellies, since the day for us, started with that family gathering, up in the community room on the second floor of the Mark Twain Museum.  Aunt Dena cooked a ham, cousin Deedee kept to her annual tradition of bringing a huge box of fried chicken and the rest of us filled out the meal with soups, stews, my mom’s famous mushroom-cheesy potatoes, fruit and loss of desserts!  We sipped on sweet or unsweetened tea and swapped stories, both old and new.

It’s a no pressure family gathering.  No gifts.  No fancy clothes.  Come as you are, bring a dish for the potluck, visit with family, see how the kids are growing, gain wisdom from your elders, reminisce about old times and make plans to see each other more often,

So in this season of giving and rebirth into the New Year; be reminded that not all gifts cost money or come in pretty packaging.   There are so many ways to give.  Picking up the phone and calling someone can be a gift greater that person who answered the ring, might get all year.  A smile to a stranger on the street, holding a door open for someone, just asking, ‘how are you?’ or passing along a compliment are all wonderful gifts, I’d gladly accept anytime, any day.