The top of the tree...only the best

During the last year of her life, my grandmother made the angel that sits on the top of our Christmas tree. She glued it together as part of an activity class at the nursing home where she lived at the time, and it has been a special part of our Christmases ever since.

I've been thinking about my late grandparents a lot lately, and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the time of year. Maybe they have come back to tell me something important and the message hasn't quite filtered through yet. I'll get it you guys; keep trying. :-) Or perhaps I just miss them. My grandma passed away over five years ago, and my grandpa has been gone for fourteen years. Still, they haven't left me. They were sweet, generous, and hilarious, and I can only hope to become half of what they were.

Okay, I'm in tears now and I didn't expect to be. Those two still have the ability to move me. I need to shift my thoughts to our Christmases at their house and the tears will change to laughter. At about 6pm every Christmas Eve, my grandpa would disappear. A few minutes later the doorbell would ring and all of the grandkids would run to the door as fast as we could to see who was there. There was never anyone there, but we would always find candy canes filled with red and green M&Ms from Santa hanging near the light fixture. A few minutes later, Grandpa would mosey back into the house and ask if he had missed anything. The thought of that moment still makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. We loved this tradition so much, it continued well into high school.

So...the holidays are all about family, and I'll continue to reflect upon what my grandparents meant to me. The top of the tree holds the perfect reminder.