Home to Grandfather's House for Christmas

We trekked some 400 miles across country to be with my elderly father on Christmas Day. While to the adults much of the trip is packing, waiting in line and traffic, to a nine (9) year old, it is still magic.

Out of the gifts, the travel arrangements, the packing, the thing I will remember the most about this Christmas (2008) was my son's encounter with Santa Clause. After having met with "Santa," he remembered he had "forgotten" a very significant present. My weak statement that, "Santa probably knows about that game you want," went nowhere.

We went back, stood in line, and "told" "Santa," about the very special game that must come on Christmas Day.

Its so trite, so hackneyed (nice word for a Christmas story), but I watched him tell Santa with all the "importance of being earnest" that Santa must "add" this one game to his list.

Santa dutifully said that he would and that Parker should have known that Santa already knew his Christmas List - responding to my 'wink' 15 feet away.

And, I reminded Santa that we would be at "Grandfather's house" on Christmas Day. Santa, apparently the "hi tech" Santa, shrugged it off and said that his elves now take care of all the GPS and routing details. And, in the world of UPS and USPS online "tracking," it made perfect sense to my 9 year old.

So, we left Santa -- well certain that the "game" would arrive at Grandfather's house on Christmas Day.

And, off to packing, the smell of pine trees, cinnamon sticks, Holiday Muzak®, grapefruit from someplace called "Indian River," a holiday party where last years pants didn't fit quite as well as the year before, a Holiday Card that said they donated your Christmas Gift to the Welcome Wagon®, or some other equally obscure organization and then ...

We were off ...

& & &

Over the river and through the woods
To Grand[father's] house we go.
The horse knows the way
To carry the sleigh
Through the white and drifted snow, Oh!
Over the river and through the woods
Oh, how the wind does blow.
It stings the nose
And bites the toes
As over the ground we go.

Over the river and through the woods
Trot fast my dapple gray.
Spring over the ground
Like a hunting hound
On this Thanksgiving Day, Hey!
Over the river and through the woods
Now Grand[father's] face I spy.
Hurrah for the fun,
Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie.

[Mother Goose. Public Domain.]

& & &

When we finally got in eyesight of Grandfather's House (my father, Parker's Grandfather), I was surprised to see Christmas Lights all around.

Apparently, the people who take care of Grandfather put up some Christmas lights.

They were not the biggest; they were not the brightest and they were not the most impressive.

However, out of all the lights this Christmas, they were, in some odd way, the most meaningful and most inviting.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all.

Hugh Wood, Esq.
Wood & Meredith, LLP
3756 LaVista Road
Suite 250
Atlanta (Tucker), GA 30084
http://www.woodandmeredith.com/
hwood@woodandmeredith.com
Phone: 404-633-4100
Fax: 404-633-0068