I love my Dave. And he loves Christmas.
For 28 Christmases now, he has worked hard, planned, created, wrapped, shopped, baked, played, decorated and done whatever else is necessary to create a magical, love-filled, memory-made Christmas for our family. Christmas mornings at our house are legendary feasts of extravagant indulgence and convivial love banquets of gifts and good smells and laughter and mountains of giftwrap and the music of Christmas and the love of the most incredible husband-father-grandfather. It isn’t about the money spent, for often there has been precious-little of that, but it’s the thoughtful generosity of spirit, gifts that remind the recipient: you are loved, cherished and appreciated-this is my token of that. But – wrap all of that in a huge Christmas bow and you have the gift of the season that my husband puts much great effort in to.
You are the original Clark Griswold, honey. You are George Bailey and Father O’Malley ringing the bells of Christmas. You are my handsome Jefferson Jones, my lover by tree-light. You are Kris Kringle and Santa Claus. You are the man described in “Holiday Inn” in the exchange between Jim Hardy and Miss Linda Mason (Bing Crosby and Marjorie Reynolds).
Linda: You’re a lot like my father – just a man with a family. Never amounted to much, never really cared. But as long as he was alive, we had food to eat and clothes to keep us warm.
Jim: Were you happy?
Linda: Very.
Jim: Well, then your father was a successful man. I hope I can do as well.
Yes, baby, you are Mr. Christmas. I love that you are. I love that you are ever-committed to making merry for all. I am smiling at how excited you are to be organizing the decorations – getting ready to haul them out in mere days. You know where everything is and you’re planning, with a twinkle in your eye, to give us yet another wonderful Christmas.
As the Carpenters once sang: Merry Christmas, Darling…Jeanie
From Dickens’ A Christmas Carol~
“…and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that truly be said of us, all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, ‘God bless us, Every One!'”
NOTE TO SELF: Love the Christmas keeper.
characters above from some of our favorite Christmas movies, including: Christmas Vacation, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Bells of Saint Mary’s, Christmas in Connecticut, Miracle on 34th Street, Holiday Inn
pictured: sweet daughter, Stormie did the graphic for me, from a photo of Dave and a Bing Crosby album.
And once again, I sit here bawling…
God Bless Us Every One!
Awww – that was such a sweet post! Yes, I am happy to say that I have inheirited my Dad’s love of Christmas. I have already watched a handful of our fav Christmas movies: Christmas Vacation, Holiday Inn, The Family Stone, The Christmas Toy, A Muppet Christmas Carol, Elf, It’s a Wonderful Life, and I am about to watch Love Actually. I have also been listening to Christmas music every day with the kids and I want to get our decorations out, but I think I will try to contain myself until next week;o)
Christmas time truly is ‘the most wonderful time of the year!’ I love you Dad!
Your family is so blessed to have such a Godly man as the leader of your household…a man so compassionate and caring, excitable and sensitive…a man who would do anything for his family and who loves his wife and kids more than life itself. Bless you, Dave. Thank you for being such a great dad, granddad and Christmas connoisseur.
Thank you for all the comments, I’m at work and have to be careful not to read this again right now, lest I become a blubbering lump of flesh…
Thank you honey.
I love you all…
And CHRISTMAS!!!!!
My Hubby is absolutely Mr. Christmas in our household, too… maybe a little more Clark Griswold sometimes. Last year he finally added a separate 50 amp breaker to our humble abode just for the plethora of Christmas lights he hangs on the house and places so carefully in the yard. It was nice to not continually have our whole house go dark because the blinking candy canes and the wire reindeer with heads that really raise and lower were hogging all of the current.
But that is something I deeply love about him, just as you love your Mr. Christmas. It’s awesome to see the kids faces, eyes wide and lips upturned with glee, as he digs every last piece of tinsel out of the basement. It’s a blast. It’s something I look forward to every, single year… from December 26 until December 25 of the following.
I’m glad you have a Mr. Christmas in your household (go Dave!) and I’m glad I have one in mine, too. :)
I have inherited my love of Christmas from you too, Dad! LOVE YOU.
I love Christmas, too! I am excited that it’s almost “that time” to get out the decorations and such. But, remember my last year’s post? http://cakboliv.wordpress.com/2007/11/25/im-a-christmas-bully/
I am trying to approach the decorating-ness with a new attitude. I WILL be more gentle in including others in the whole decoration-ness. At least that’s my intention now. I’m tensing up already at the thought of it, but it’s mind over matter, right? LOL
Dave – you inspire us all with your Christmas spirit and generosity!