Season’s Greetings

The Christmas Season always brings back memories of Christmas past.

I looked forward to Christmas Eve and our traditional Polish dinner at Bobcha and DziaDzia’s house with all our Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. To me that was Christmas as I had no Christmas tree, lights or presents at home.

Seasons Greetings, Love Ray

There is one special memory that I would like to share with you. I was about 11 years old and my best friend Patty came over for the weekend a few weeks before Christmas. We decided that we were going to get a real Christmas tree. We took a hacksaw and bundled up, yeah, those New York winters were pretty cold. I lived in the Hudson Valley and it was the country. Off we went across the street, through the cow fields and into the woods to find a tree.? We were up there for some time before we found a decent tree, cut it down and dragged it about two miles through the woods. We got it back to the house and after defrosting in front of the fireplace, we set it up in a pail. We got all itchy from it, you see, we brought home a cedar tree. It didn’t matter to us though. We made chains out of paper and popped popcorn to decorate it. It wasn’t much to look at but to us, it was the most amazing Christmas tree in the world.

Popcorn and paper decorations

The best part of this story is when I think back on Christmas past, I always remember that tree and my friend Patty. Although we live many miles apart and drift out of each others life, we always manage to find each other again and she always tells me about that tree. To this day I do not buy decorations for my tree, I make them all by hand. Christmas is not about presents from a store, or how many lights you have on your house. It’s about the gifts that don’t cost money. The special moments that may seem like a small thing, but can turn into the most precious gifts and memories that last a lifetime. It’s about peace, love, friendship, and caring that we can share with others.

It took a long time for me to understand why we didn’t have a store bought Christmas. The holidays can be a very hard time for many people because of loss. I did not understand that until now. Spread love and kindness this holiday season and help those who just need to know that someone cares. It is the greatest gift you can give. Love can change the world.

Happy Holidays for all of us at Milky Way Ray’s Galaxy