Holiday Memories

Gifford Volunteer Chaplain Kathy Rohloff shares her personal reflections in this blog post. Kathy and all of our volunteer chaplains offer a nonsectarian presence. If you need someone to listen, and hear you with compassion, you can reach them by calling the Rev. Tim Eberhardt at 802-728-2107.

By Kathy Rohloff

The holiday season is upon us, and all around we see folks decorating and preparing for their celebrations, which include Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, as well as others. All around us, there is an overflow from the preparation and anticipation of these celebrations.

People are different. They greet one another with smiles, chatter in checkout lines, return shopping carts, and don’t honk in irritation when the traffic is busy.

People celebrate.  With the advantage of having experienced 70 Christmases, these are some of my observations: some folks sing carols, others may attend religious ceremonies, many hang stockings for Santa Claus to fill and leave out milk and cookies, and some brave souls move an elf on the shelf around every night..  Homes get decorated with trees covered in lights and ornaments collected through the years.

They donate nonperishable food to food shelves and buy presents with tags from Angel trees set up in the community.  They may bake cookies to pass to their neighbors, mail holiday cards, and hunt for the perfect gift to express their love.

But the biggest part of all celebrations are the people that fill our hearts and our homes. Every year we father, we revisit old memories and make new ones.

Look around at those gathered this year.  How quickly have the children grown? Are there grandchildren included now?  What new interests are folks pursuing?  What are some of the highlights of their year? Are there new faces of significant others included in the celebration?

What is the age of the oldest person there? Is their health in decline along with their memory? If so, how do we view our time with them?  Can we eke out another smile over an often-told story or joke? Do we accept the personality quirks that are finely tuned and sharpened through the years? Do we cherish this time or simply endure it?

The future holds numbered holidays for all of us. How many gatherings are left? 10? 5? Or less?

This is the time to value those we love and accept the imperfections. Make unforgettable memories. Time passes too quickly; let’s not live with regrets of missed opportunities.