Every year when Christmas comes around, I become a bit nostalgic. I am reminded of Christmastime when I was a little girl. Before my parent’s divorce, we spent every Christmas at my grandparent’s house. We were surrounded by every member of the family, on my father’s side. My mom’s side was split up on the west coast, but sometimes her mom would come to visit for the holidays. When she was in town, she also came to my father’s family’s Christmas.
I remember Christmas was always a time when my parents had their video camera out. Most of the VHS tapes I have from those days, are of our Christmases.
I remember my grandpa and my aunt would always play on the organ and I always thought it was the coolest thing that they just knew what keys to push to make it sound like a song. I believe they played the song Heart and Soul. I remember my grandpa and my 2 uncles taking turns in the kitchen, making a ton of food.
The food was always put on the dining table for everyone to feast on, without having to get up. Once our family expanded and we couldn’t fit at the dining table anymore, my grandparents would set up tables in their den. They would have a smaller table that was considered the kid’s table at the end of the adult tables. Every year when it came time to eat, my grandpa would pull out this black briefcase that was full of silverware, lined in red velvety material. I thought it was the coolest thing. Fancy silverware in this fancy black case, that was only allowed to be used for this one day a year, that is some pretty special silverware if you ask me!
My parent’s split right before Christmas when I had just turned 10. Christmas definitely changed after that, but the thing that remained constant was the Christmas festivities at my grandparent’s house. It was probably the only thing that stayed the same after my parent’s split. My grandma passed away in 2005 and my grandpa passed away in 2008. About a year or so after his passing, my father had to forfeit their house as it was, and that meant a lot of things being left behind. I had always wondered what happened to that fancy black case full of that fancy silverware.
Even though my relationship with my father is basically nonexistent at this point in my life, I do still somewhat talk to my aunt (his sister). I had asked her if she remembered the case and if she knew what happened to it or where it came from. She said she wasn’t sure what happened to it and that there is a story behind it (which she will be telling me the next time I see her).
I also decided to go ahead and message my father about it as well, because HELLO IM CURIOUS! I was excitedly surprised that HE STILL HAS IT! Unfortunately, though, the case itself was destroyed from water damage, which I assume was from their houses plumbing problems that occurred after my grandpa passed away. My father is thinking that the silverware is somewhere between 50 and 60 years old and that it was possibly a gift to my grandparents from my grandpa’s mother.
Upon conversating a little more about it, my father told me that once he finds it again, he will let me have it! TALK ABOUT UGLY CRYING OVER HERE!!
I didn’t know as a child how important to me these types of things were going to become. I didn’t even know it when I lost both of my grandparents when I was a teenager, that having something that belonged to them would mean so much to me.
What do you remember from your childhood Christmases? Do you have any sentimental objects like my silverware case?
Jenn
Reclaiming My Sanity 