Christmas times a coming! I would give anything for one more Christmas with grandmother. Oh, how I loved that woman. There are times when I close my eyes as tight as I possibly can and try very hard to remember those happy times, when we would all gather at grandmother and granddaddy's for that magical day. The table and counter tops running over with food, presents were piled high under grandmother's tree, cousins running in all directions bragging about their big scores from Santa earlier that morning. Everything needed for a happy holiday could be found at grandmothers.
It was during one of those Christmas seasons, that grandmother decided she needed a fireplace to create a more festive environment. Grandmother was strong capable woman but, I doubt that she could have constructed a fireplace in the middle of the living room and I'm pretty sure granddaddy was quite happy with the furnace that provided heat for their home. That was the year we were all introduced to fireplace in a box, constructed of cardboard and easy to assemble. The brick colored cardboard pieces came together to form the perfect fireplace for those not blessed with the real thing. An added bonus was the box it came in, which created an imaginary car just the right size for grandmother and my cousin, Phillip, who was the baby of the family. We all laughed as she sat in the middle of the living room floor in a box, with a baby in her lap, pretending to drive away. She was not at all upset that the box had upstaged her "new" fireplace, in fact she was delighted with the attention and laughter she created with her cardboard car.
I can see now that all grandmother really wanted was for her family to be happy and she was blessed with the gift of knowing how to make that happen. Our entire family was blessed to have had her, even if she was only ours for a short time. Over the years the family has grown bigger and apart, we don't celebrate Christmas as a family but we still love each other, respect each other and wish each other the very best, not just during the holidays but year round. Grandmother gave us a beautiful foundation and each of us has either built our own cardboard fireplace for our families to gather around or a sturdy cardboard box card to race around the living room. Either way, I think grandmother is looking down from Heaven with a smile on her face and love in her heart.
Happy holidays to the entire Holden clan! Aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews....you are all gathered round the Christmas tree in my heart!
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