Christmas

It's just around the corner, and I know I am as ready as I'll ever be.

I used to love Christmas when I was a kid. Coming from a broken home, I spend Christmas day at home with my mom and step-father. We would always fo to my nanny's house for Christmas dinner. This included all her 11 kids, all their wives and their kids too. This was one of the most fun, most exciting days for me. It wasn't about the stuff I was getting, but it was about having great memories of having fun with my cousins, aunts and uncles.

Once my nanny died, everything changed. She was the one that solved all the arguements between the kids, and with her gone, the splits between the family have grown. I haven't seen some of my uncles since then. Aunts and uncles have split up, cousins have grown up without me ever seeing them. They have developed into grown ups with lives of their own. I guess it's partly my fault too, for not looking them up.

I am closest to my cousins Melanie and Stephanie, although I only see them once or twice a year at best. We keep in touch with Facebook, so I know when I can throw in a thought or a suggestion...or be a reference for either of them.

I wish I could have one more day with my nanny...I got a bunch of super 8 film from my dad, and there was a bar-b-que on one of the films. Oh, how I wish it would have been super 8 with sound.

I forget what my nanny's voice sounds like ....