I was raised a Christian — Christmas was always a big deal — But when my grandmother Matt dies when I was 6 and my grandfather Didi moved in with us — Christmas eve became a much bigger deal
Didi’s Day of the Dead — a small ceremony in his bedroom — he would often cry after we sang O Holy Night in Latvian
How little changed over the next 20 years
After I saw my first Bergman movie — I realized this was exactly how I had been raised — Fanny & Alexander
Strange to think all of them are ancestors now
Watching the world of the ‘living’ unfold
When my Matt was on her deathbed — she asked my mother if she wanted anything from the Otherside — My mother who had been trying for 6 years after I was born to have another child with multiple miscarriages and the attendant depression asked her for a successful pregnancy
The following year — on Matt’s birthday he was due — Our mother took it as a sign
Maybe — that’s where we get it from
Christmas to enjoy
Although I no longer consider myself a Christian — I can appreciate the craft of the season
A wonderful Xmas Eve to y’all — Maybe — if we’re lucky tonight will be filled by a mass visitation of ghosts — our crumbling culture could use a scroogy kick in the a$$!
Thanks for the tears:)
Beautiful Tale. Much Love,
G