I Blame Kelly

“Bah ‘effing’ humbug!” is what I said to Lilibeth the last time we met at writers group. She’d advised me that I just needed to put some Christmas music on and decorate my damned tree and that would help put me in the Christmas spirit.

With that said, it should surprise no one that I wasn’t in the mood for Christmas this year. AGAIN. I have several damned good reasons for my unseasonably foul mood, which I could go into detail about – but in all honesty, no one wants to hear me whine at this time of the year – or ever! Many know the trials and tribulations my family has gone through, though. But then, who hasn’t gone through much of the same or even worse? I realize that we have it better than many, which makes it hard for me to legitimize my bitter grumbling without sounding like a spoiled, whiny baby. Even so, when you’re in the thick of it and trying to keep depression, health issues, traumatic events and the overwhelming madness of others at bay, sometimes you turn into a whiny baby.

So, yeah! Guilty as charged!

And it’s not as though I didn’t fight to be on Team Christmas this year – it’s just that one thing after another kept happening and I constantly found myself siding with Team Humbug instead. Even so, I did my best to rouse my inner Christmas elf with varying degrees of success. The Christmas tree went up (thank you David and Ryan) but stayed undecorated this year except for the tilted red star topper that Ryan put on it. The star wouldn’t stay upright and I thought that it was a really great metaphor for the way things have been going, so we left it as is! I did, however, get all of my Christmas shopping done and all of the presents wrapped – last minute. As we hit different stores throughout town on our one-day, Christmas shopping spree last Saturday, David stayed in the car, but drove me around so I wouldn’t have to fight for parking.

By Sunday (Christmas Eve), however, the Christmas Spirit had enveloped me. I wrapped gifts while watching the dismal Cowboy Game against Seattle that eliminated us from any miracle of going to the play offs. By then, though, even that couldn’t move me back to Team Humbug.

Because by then, I remembered something very important that I’d forgotten. This remembrance/reminder came late Saturday – Christmas is a magical time and magic has a way of reaching even the most bah, humbuggiest, tiniest, coldest, Scroogiest, Grinchiest hearts and replacing them with hearts filled with the Spirit of Christmas! That is Team Christmas’s secret advantage.

I was in Target with my daughter Lauren late Saturday evening, trying desperately to find last-minute presents when we decided to shop for Lauren’s unofficial niece, who also happens to be Kelly’s three-year old daughter. I’ve never actually met Kelly or her daughter, but Kelly is a Wayward Sparkles’ reader and one of my daughter’s best friends, which is enough of a gift in itself – but then when Lauren called Kelly on the phone to ask whether Lauren’s unofficial niece (who I decided makes her my unofficial granddaughter) had the Despicable Me 3 DVD, Kelly asked Lauren if it was okay if her daughter could give me the grandma name of Sparkles.

It was at that very moment that the Magic and Spirit of Christmas hit me full blast, just in the St. Nick of time! As the icy north winds roared through Texas, the ice around my frozen heart cracked and melted away.

Normally, I don’t have a “favorite” Christmas gift because that is all sorts of kinds of rude and besides, I always like everything I get and am always humbled by family and friends’ generosity and love. However, this year is different. Hands down, my favorite Christmas gift was being bestowed the title of Grandma Sparkles! And for that, I blame Kelly! And now I’m crying happy tears, again, thinking about it all over! So, Kelly, thank you and your beautiful little girl, my unofficial granddaughter, for touching me with Christmas magic this year and unfreezing my bah, humbuggy heart so I could, once again, share the loving heart with which God originally graced me.

And thank you, God, for the love you have for all of us, for giving us your Son Jesus, whose birth it is we celebrate, and for all of the wonderful and loving friends and family that have stuck with me and my family through the thick and thin of it all!

I love you all! Humbug, indeed.

So Christmas Sparkles to One and All and may the New Year bring each of you Health, Love, Joy and Prosperity!

Until we meet again soon,

Mona aka Grandma Sparkles

 

p.s. Happy Birthday, Jesus!

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