Family Christmas Essay, Research Paper

A Family Christmas

I was very nervous because my tiny townhouse was full of hungry people, people with

very different personalities, backgrounds and families who were now brought together as one

family, my family. They were all counting on me to present them with a feast that was just as

appealing to the eye as it was to the pallet. I did not think that I would make it through this!

My mother and her husband, they had only been living with me since they moved down to

be closer to me, seemed to be everywhere I turned. My Mother and I fought the whole day over

how to cook things. Of course being a Mom, she thought she knew best, but this was my dinner

and my turn to cook my way.

My mother in law who had cooked for me on several occasions including holidays, was

observing, almost like she was waiting for me to make a mistake. I like this gray haired,

somewhat slouched but spry elderly lady. She tried very hard to cook great meals and I have had

much worse, but I began to understand why my husband like my cooking better. He rediscovered

dishes like chicken ?n? dumplings, stuffed peppers, and country fried steak, only to make sure he

stated, ?Please don?t tell my Mom that I ate that!? Now I wondered if she would secretly talk

about what a bad cook I was.

My sister-in-law, who was also named Debbie, was cute, nice, slim and smart, she arrived

with her Mom. Although very different from her brother, they shared a close but yet distant

relationship. I always wondered if she even liked me.

My husbands best friend/ex-partner, showed up eventually. He usually showed up late

and was always in a hurry. He was in he early fifties bachelor, and thought of himself as

somewhat of a ladies man. He was a smooth talking retired police officer who loved his toys so

much he had to work full time as an off duty police officer , plus his pension to pay for them. I

think that he also used the uniform as a babe magnet. I also think that my Mom was taken with

his sometimes perverted quick wit. I had no doubt that he would enjoy my food.

My daughter, who was 12, was enjoying this day full of loving family and friends, but did

not enjoy the spat between my Mother and I. This was the first time we had a real family

Christmas with a Daddy, Mom, Sisters, Two grandmas, Grandpa, Aunt, and honorary Uncle. She

loved my cooking and could hardly wait for me to be done.

My two step daughters,12 and 14, were only with us for half of the day, really seemed to

like my daughter and me, but at the same time fighting the jealousy of us having their father all the

time. I only hope they would eat!

My husband and I had been married in January of that same year, so this was our first

Christmas as a blended family. I was so worried about making sure everyone else was happy that

I was not enjoying it myself. I was embarrassed by the mismatched dishes that were displayed on

our table, opened two sets of matching china from my mother in law later! We all sat down and

did the traditional prayer and then made the normal music of spoons scraping bowls, drinks being

poured and voices asking for things, almost like a well orchestrated chorus. They were eating!

More importantly they were having seconds! I did it! I only hoped that no one would watch my

step-father , a backwoods Alabama boy, eat. It was really embarrassing!

After dinner came the best part, the distribution of the presents! There were so many gifts

under the tree! Every gift was picked out with great emotion and love for each person. My

Mother was always generous at Christmas since I grew up Jehovah?s Witness and only started

participating this way for a few years.

There was so much love and happiness in my house that day, what a shame that it is gone.

My marriage died 6 months later when my husband moved in with his girlfriend, my mom died an

excruciating death 17 months later, and I no longer see or speak to my step-daughters. I do not

think that I can ever recreate that day. It is a day that forever will be the best Christmas I ever

had! The true meaning of holidays; love and family.

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