Ghosts Of Christmas Past

 Ghosts Of Christmas Past

I felt sad this Christmas, longing for a time that passed me by long ago. We never realize how much we will miss moments spent with loved ones, that seem routine at the time, as if we will live forever. I would give anything to spend one more Christmas Eve at my maternal grandmother, “Nana’s” house.

Nana had a gorgeous dining room table large enough for our family, she sat on one end of the table and my uncle sat on the other end. My mother, stepfather, and older brother were seated on one side, with my younger brother and I on the other side.

I sat directly across from my mother, and next to my grandmother, watching her enjoy her bourbon and water. Bourbon and water, made my grandmother's eyelids blink faster than caution lights, and I sat next to her.

Every time my mother looked away, I would flutter my eyes as fast as I could, but Nana never noticed. She was too busy telling me what to put on my plate, instead of paying attention to her own.

Edna, Nana’s housekeeper worked for her for years, then, somehow, she got trapped into working for my mother when I was born, so she was familiar with Nana’s caution light eyes.

I knew Edna noticed it, and I was relieved because my family went about their business as if they couldn’t see my grandmother winking at them.

Well, one Christmas, I followed Edna into the kitchen, fluttering my eyes until she saw me, and when she did, she let loose her infectious laugh, and covered her face with her hands, as if she had been holding back that laugh for years.

We were trying to laugh quietly, and I’m sure my family wondered what was so funny, but we could not stop laughing until we quit looking at each other.

Finally, we collected ourselves and brought a few serving dishes to the table.

We had everything on the table, but the turkey, so I sat down beside “The Blinker,” and Edna, went in the kitchen to get the turkey. I wanted to flutter my eyelids, but my mother was watching me like a hawk, so I sat in my seat like a lady.

Edna walked out of the kitchen with a huge Turkey on a long platter, she walked around my grandmother so she could place Turkey in the middle of the table, then she looked at me.

I couldn’t help it, when she looked at me, I began flashing, flickering, and fluttering my eyes.

Edna tried to balance the Turkey on the platter when she started laughing again, but her body moved when she laughed, so the platter dipped to the right, then to the left, like a seesaw, until the Turkey coasted off the platter and sailed toward the table.

Then, my mother caught the Turkey before it hit the table,

as if she saw it coming, walked out of the dining room, and returned with a card table, then said,

“Ann, get your plate, this is your new table.”

Everyone was watching me, as I picked up my plate and walked toward my new table, and sat down. Then, my grandmother asked my mother,

“Carol, why is Ann eating at my card table?”

Then, my mother began fluttering her eyes, and replied,

“I’ll tell you later, Mom”

Footnote- This was one of my favorite Christmases, and the year I created the kid's table for future generations.