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Forever Christmas Eve
Now let me be honest, that's not always the way I live life, but it is my "wish" to live life in this manner. I do view Christmas as the most sacred time of the calendar year. I love the cool temperatures, the warm fireplaces and the hot chestnuts that we sing about each year soon after Thanksgiving. But my favorite thing about the Christmas season is the way people treat one another. Folks greet each other on the street. Ladies and gents bake breads and cakes for family and friends. People seem to laugh and smile more. Whether you live in Coweta County or New York City, people are kinder during the Christmas season. Each season I ask myself "Why can't we treat each other this way all through the year?" Now let's get to how I started my Christmas season off last year! The day after Thanksgiving I dragged Mark to every Christmas tree stand in a 10-mile radius of Newnan, Georgia! This is what Mark refers to as "the dreaded search for the perfect tree." This usually takes more than one day. My taste goes in the opposite direction of Charlie Brown's famous stick figure Christmas tree. I tend to like the fattest and tallest tree in the Christmas tree market! The tree that I can barely get through the door! And the tree that will eventually drop enough needles to re-carpet my floor! With all of that said….Let's get back to last year! I could not find the "perfect tree. So…oh, lordy…I ordered the perfect tree! The perfect silk tree! I know it goes against every traditional value that I grew up with, but just between you and me, it is the perfect tree. Let me give you an example of how sweet this tree is. I put all the Christmas ornaments on the tree and not one of them fell to the floor! I have been collecting ornaments since I was three years old. Inevitably each year, I spend time with my glue gun putting an ornament back together after it's crashed to the floor because of a weak branch! Thank you Home Depot for growing the perfect tree! I turned forty years old this past March and decided to make a list of the things I wanted to do during my fortieth year. On the list of objectives was to have the guts to keep up my tree all of 2007. This may seem a bit odd to some, but what the hay! It is my fortieth year on earth! And believe me when I say, I've been called worse things than "odd." The tree is still up. I have re-decorated that tree for New Year's, 4th of July, Halloween, and now back to Christmas! (It was a bit difficult explaining to the cable repairman why I had a Christmas tree up in July.) My next door neighbors have two adorable grandchildren, Noel (yes I said, Noel) and Victoria. The kids come over every year to view my Christmas decorations (which may seem a little excessive to some). Noel, with the help of his younger sister, Victoria, likes to count all the Santas throughout the house and give me the precise number! (I add a couple each year.) The children's eyes light up as they play with my animated characters and snow globes. I have to admit there is nothing better than seeing and hearing a child's view of Christmas. I try hard to keep this childlike view of Christmas with me every year. It's easy when you surround yourself with loving children such as Noel and Victoria. I have 10 or 15 Christmas CDs that I play over and over each season. I start this tradition the weekend after Thanksgiving. Secretly, it's sometimes earlier! I play them loudly and sing even louder! My favorite two artists for the Christmas season are Celine Dion and Harry Connick Jr. During this musical ritual I have a blazing fire in the fireplace and a "small" glass of Merlot in hand. Mind you, my talent was not and is not in the area of vocals. I grew up in Swainsboro with all the traditional values that a good country girl could muster. My parents always saw to it that their "only child" had everything and more that Santa could haul down the fireplace. In fact, it usually took a couple of hours to tear through all the packages that Saint Nick brought to Gloria Street every Christmas Eve. I decided at an early age to return the favor to Mom and Dad…buying and wrapping gift after gift each year. You know, making up for all the children they didn't have! Each year I ask Mom "What all did I get you last year?" She doesn't usually remember. Frankly, neither do I! But that's just fine! The "gift giving" tradition in my small family stays the same. I know that gift giving is not what Christmas is all about. Christmas is about the birth of Jesus and our celebration of this glorious event. I sometimes have to remind myself of the reason for the season. My lovely grandmother passed away this past May. It's been a hard year for our family. When I gave her eulogy at her service I spoke about the last conversation we had over the phone. Grandmother Fields said, "You are so much like me, you live life to the fullest. You see life through the eyes of a child." She said, "I like surprises!" So do I. Grandmother said, "I like to travel." So do I. She laughed and said, " I love gifts." So do I. The last thing she said was, "We love Christmas." Grandmother couldn't have been any more right in those last words. So, Grandmother, I will make you a promise as you look down on us from Heaven. Whether I am 40 years old or 80 years young, in honor of you, I promise to live my life "forever Christmas Eve."-- Melissa Kitchens is the daughter of Curley and Gloria Kitchens of Swainsboro. She is an honor graduate of Swainsboro High School (1985); Magna cum Laude Graduate of Georgia Southern University (1989). She is senior audio designer for Cable News Network for the past 19 years and an Entertainment Columnist for 85-South Out and About Magazine in Atlanta.
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