Christmas Thunder

Woke up this morning to a huge bang, couldn’t wrap my mind around the sound for a moment. It was thunder, on Dec 27 with 2 foot on snow on the ground. Now we have rain, pouring at times, what a mess. Ah, Michigan. I want the snow to melt off the driveway and walkway but the road is becoming a river, and will probably be a skating rink tomorrow.

I think about the weather, trying to remember it from when I was a kid. I don’t think I remember thunderstorms in the winter and from my recollection lots of snow on Christmas was not common, usually we just had a dusting to an inch or so. However we did seem to have more snow later in winter than we normally have now, but this year may be more like the old winters.

This is the time to reminisce about the good old days. I grew up in the fifties and sixties. I had a large family and Christmas was always fun. We didn’t get tons of expensive stuff but we always had presents. How my Mom and Dad did it I will never know. I tried to remember my favorite Christmas gift of all time but I really can’t think of anything truly memorable. I always asked for a pony or horse but never got one. I did get lots of Breyer plastic horses as I grew up.

Our current Christmas tradition is to drive down to my moms on Christmas eve, have a potluck type meal there then be at home by ourselves Christmas day and have our kids visit at different times in the following days. I used to love being at my Moms for Christmas but the growing families have stretched that tradition to the limit. My parents added an addition to the house just so they could host large gatherings but we have out grown the addition. Thirty some people were there - many bratty kids included. The noise and confusion are horrendous. A kids table was set up but the kids just went wherever they chose and pretty much did what ever they chose, including pushing older people out of the way.

I don’t know if it’s this generation as a whole or just the way some of my relatives raise kids but today’s kids have no respect for anyone. I know I was mischievous and a bit odd as a child but I would never have pushed an older person out of the way, taken their seat, took all the tomatoes in the bowl, told an aunt to shut up, told my mom to shut up or hit my father, some of the behavior I witnessed. Bring back spanking I say.

I do have to say that my own granddaughters are well behaved, polite and helpful and I am not being prejudicial here. I have to commend my son and daughter in law for the way they have raised them. Of course they have been raised in a stable family with two parents, something most of the other kids in that mess haven’t experienced. Most of the older nieces and nephews are also polite and well behaved and I had a couple of pleasant conversations with them. It’s the fourth generation that’s been ruined.

We really need to rent a hall next year, especially if families continue to expand. Poor mom needs to have more time to talk to everyone and not be burdened with a big mess. I am a big proponent of tradition but sometimes they need to change. Ah Christmas, sometimes I wish I could just close my eyes and have it all done with.