Second Day of Christmas

I was up before everyone else this morning, nudged out of bed, I suppose, by the momentum of late Advent.  I wasn’t aware until it was too late that nothing demanded my attention: not a sermon or an email or a gift yet to be wrapped or food to be prepared.  So, I made a cup of tea, turned on all of the twinkle lights throughout the main floor of the house, lit a candle and settled in.  Then my body reminded me:  it is my mother-in-love’s birthday.  No longer in this life, though.  It is our second Day-After-Christmas-Celebration-Of-Peggy without her.  To be sure, she lived a long and full and good life.  She modeled for me what it meant to live on your own terms.  She was a constant source of encouragement, ending almost every conversation with “It will be alright.” 

Soon enough, the rest of the household roused and we eased into a gentle day.  Daughter and I made orange and clove pomanders that we arranged in one of Peggy’s antique glass dishes.  With the leftover oranges, we created a simmer pot, adding star anise and cranberries and cinnamon sticks with a splash of vanilla.  We topped it with a sprig of rosemary, snipped from the kitchen windowsill, for remembering. 

My body is doing its annual “I’m trying to get a cold” dance, in spite of my internal reminder at church not to touch my face after shaking 900 hands on Christmas Eve.  My spirit is a little sad as we anticipate taking Daughter to the airport this afternoon for her return to sunny southern California and the life she has so impressively made there.   My Bama-football-loving son and I are trying to determine what snacks will comprise our tailgating, since our team plays on New Year’s Eve at 9am local time. Roll Tide! 

Whatever this Second Day of Christmas has brought to you, I hope it is a festive as two turtle doves, as fragrant as oranges and cloves, as reassuring as having beloved family nearby,  and exactly what you need in this Christmastide.

Pomanders in Peggy's Dish

Simmer pot

Peggy, with flowers....