Christmas knitting is almost finished.

I don't buy myself presents for the holidays, just for the 'kids' (now young adults). But I felt I happened across a delightful "present". I found the 4 Agatha Christie movies starring Margaret Rutherford on YouTube. Yesterday while doing Christmas knitting I watched one of the movies. In "Murder She Said" Jane Marple knits while she waits for the murderer to come to her room so she can confront him. In "Murder Most Foul" Miss Marple knits while sitting in the jury box during a murder trial. I am having fun knitting along with Miss Marple. (It's the little things in life ...)

Christmas memories....

• It was evening and cold. My mother and I were downtown and she was doing Christmas errands. I was holding her hand, skipping, and counting to myself. I remember the Salvation Army with the red kettles ringing bells for donations in front of the stores. I think there was Christmas music playing downtown and of course the city had Christmas decorations on the main streets. I remember the Christmas spirit was palpable among the people shopping.
  
• The red house on the top of our hill had a live manger scene in their front yard for a few days surrounding Christmas. My parents would pile us in our little VW and we would slowly drive up the hill and around their circular driveway. There was often a line of cars looking at the manger with the cow, sheep, donkey, and occasionally actors portraying the manger scene. The sound of the donkey braying was heard down at our house as I stood in my front yard at night. I looked forward to it every year. The lovely red house is gone now like so many things from my childhood memories.
  
• The first Christmas being a single parent. It was a difficult time when I realized that I would never again spend both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my children, and that I must get used to the idea of Christmas falling on days other than the 25th in my home. But that first year turned out to be one of my fondest Christmas memories. The kids and I made Christmas all month long up to the 24th. We made Christmas cards, Christmas candles, and Christmas cookies. We decorated and attended Christmas programs. If I felt down when the kids left to stay with their dad and his girlfriend I don't remember it. Now I know wholeheartedly that Christmas is not one specific day.