Tenafly, New Jersey, Mid 1960’s
Whilst acclimating to life in America after having lived years in India there was MUCH to get used to. Christmas being a big one.
We would wake to my mother’s joyous reunion with her piano, hence Christmas carols, loud and clear and Dad’s exuberant humming to go with.
My sister and I looked at each other sleepily with raised eyebrows and smirky “Oh my gosh”.
We were teenagers and not only not used to THIS but also not used to being in our parents’ home, as boarding school and missionary shuffling about had been our norm forever.
With piano playing halted, the smell of English muffins toasting, the victrola player now engaged and Benjamin Britten’s ‘Ceremony of Carols’ ringing forth, we were rallied to join hands for breakfast and an announcement.
“Girls, your Dad and I have decided that this Christmas business here in the States, of huge amounts of money being doled out on t-h-i-n-g-s that no one really needs, we have a plan.”
“Uh oh” says my sister’s and my eyes to each other.
“Yes! We have decided that IF YOU:
- Can’t read it
- Can’t listen to it
- Can’t eat it
- Can’t burn it
- Or you haven’t made it
You cannot give it.
Tenafly was a land where bicycles and fluffy sweaters and fancy transitor radios and special eyeliners and perfumes were being lusted after and chatted about by all of the new friends, and this? THIS?
We’re not in India any more.
In India, our Christmas gifts consisted of oranges stuffed into a new pair of socks and so this list was amazing in comparison. BUT….
We whispered.
“Are we being selfish? Have we already become all about having things? What do you think?”
We felt what we felt. We followed the family plan. We kept our mouths shut when school reconvened and everyone talked about ‘their hauls’, but in fact….
As a family, we created a hot steamy FUN candle factory in the kitchen and we made Nanny’s special cookies with frosting and sprinkles, licking beaters and fingers along the way, and we bought each other a record…mine was “Parsley Sage, Rosemary and Thyme” and Margaret’s was “Tea for the Tillerman”, and we were given “Thurber’s Dogs” and “Tess of the Durbervilles”, and we had SO MUCH FUN TOGETHER…..even though school was school and fancy thises and thats were front and center.
Thank you, Mom and Dad…up there….perhaps sipping a wee bit of sherry.
This was a beautiful lesson.
And Christmas is coming!