It's The Little Things...

My youngest kid brother, The Musician, is famous within the tribe for giving the most interesting gifts, at Christmas and at other times of year. This year was no different. He puts thought into his gifts and they always are a hit with Your Humble Scribe. (Who as he gets older appreciates the little things more and more.)

As you can see in the opening photo, one of my gifts from The Musician was that wee owl in the wee snow globe. The quarter gives you an idea of the size of it. Not large, but it captured my fancy almost immediately.

Christmas Day we went over the The Olde Vermonter's house for dinner. As some of you might remember, he and Mrs. Olde Vermonter live in the house where I spent my formative years. He added an addition for his late mother-in-law some years ago. Unfortunately she didn't get to spend a long time with them, passing not long after moving in as I recall.

So the ancestral home is larger than it used to be. Growing up, there were my Mom and Dad, my two brothers and myself, a cat, three bedrooms, one bath. The living room seems small now, but it seemed more than adequate growing up. The one bath though, yeah, that was a problem with five of us. (Our cat, first Tommy, then later Ulysses, had his own bathroom.)

The addition added a second bath and a new living area about the size of the living room and kitchen combined in the older part of the house. With nine adults, two large dogs and one small dog present for Christmas dinner, there was enough room. Not that we could have held a dance but it was roomy enough. (The Olde Vermonters have two cats, who make themselves scarce whenever there is company. I have actually seen them only once, and that was as they fled for the safety of the upstairs portion of the split level.)

After a magnificent repast of turkey, ham, two varieties of meatballs (one pot of store-bought and one pot made to my late father's recipe, proud of his meatballs he was), shrimp, cranberry sauce, two magnificent vegetable casseroles (one broccoli, one candied yams), and various beverages, we gathered in the new addition to exchange gifts. The Musician handed out envelopes with a tiny snow globe attached to each one.

I immediately began to play with the snow globe, shaking it to watch the snow flakes swirl around the little owl. The Missus Herself asked me what I had received, so I showed her the little owl.

"No, you ID-10-T, what's in the envelope?"

"Oh, let me check..."

For those keeping score at home, it was a Cabela's gift card. Very nice I thought, I've never shopped there, but I checked their website, they do have some really neat stuff. But my attention was fixed upon the wee owl. I guess I really am a small boy at heart.

We had a marvelous time, laughing and telling stories of the old days, that old house rang with laughter and Christmas cheer just like in the days of my youth. I swear that the spirits of both sets of grandparents looked down on the gathering, and I could feel my father's spirit there, also uncles and aunts who have gone on ahead. Not to mention a couple of old cats and one black lab who looked on from the Rainbow Bridge.

It was splendid. I hated to see it end but end it did, as all things do.

I pray your Christmas was blessed and for my Jewish friends I hope your Hanukkah is truly wonderful. It's a great time of year, my favorite time of year.

Ah well, I'm off to watch my owl in the snow.