Christmas Day 2008

Christmas Day began fairly normally, with the 9 & 7-year-old grandsons got up early to discover the treasures Santa had left for them. Each of the boys got a video game system, a movie and a remote control flying disc that is safe to fly indoors. The morning was spent in getting a feel for the games and the flying saucers.
My daughter who lives in Singapore is home for the holidays, so in mid-morning she went to the Pasadena to pick up my mother-in-law, who is 81 and in declining health. They got to the house about noon, as did my youngest daughter, and my oldest daughter and her family.


We decided a few days that instead of traditional Christmas foods, we would have beans and cornbread. There were some other dishes, but the meal was relaxed and very pleasant, not to mention tasty!


Next came the gift exchange between the immediate family members. We took our time and all watched as each present was opened. One of our favorite traditions over the past twenty or so years is the opening or the stocking stuffers that we all get for each other. Some of the most creative and imaginative things show up at this time. For instance, my daughter found a pack of Teaberry gum, which was a favorite of ours in when she was a little girl, but that we both thought was no longer made!


But this is where normal left us today! The little boys and their fifteen-year-old cousin decided to take the flying discs outside to see how high they would fly. One of them got up to around 50 or 60 feet and the wind blew it across the street and into the back yard of the neighbors. Ringing a doorbell and making a request easily retrieved it.


But the other disc, when about 30 feet up, a gust blew it into the top of an ash tree in another neighbors yard. It stuck there and the remote could not dislodge it. So we sent one of the boys to bring his football. We threw the football in an attempt to know the disc free. Before long the football was also stuck in the top of the tree. Then shortly after that we stuck a basketball up there. Then a baseball joined the others. Next we tried tying a rock to a small rope to throw over a limb so we could shake the entire tree. About this time the neighbors came home and found us all “playing “in their yard.


One by one the balls fell from the tree. Then we had to find a way to get the rock down. It took us a while, but we did it. We had spent two hours in the project. Oh, by the way, the disc is still in the tree at this writing!
We went in, played a game, another of our Christmas traditions. We laughed and competed and had a wonderful time.


I always enjoy Christmas day with my family, and I think I will long remember this afternoon’s ordeal!

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