Celebrating Alone

 Covid 19 has made my Christmas different than in past years. All the items are in place and all that is missing are people! My Nativity is up, a small tree stands in the corner of the room, I have gifts to open, and Christmas Carols are playing in the background. I have received calls from friends wishing me a  Merry Christmas and I have called a few friends with the same thoughts! I am ready to begin the celebration of Baby Jesus' birth.

I open a box and find 12 mandarin oranges. I wash one, peel it and it is so sweet and juicy; I eat another one. I am so happy with my gift I text my daughter to thank her for her thoughtful and healthy gift! Package number two is well packed and taped it takes me awhile to get the wrapping off. I use scissors, muscle and finally the wrapping loses the battle. Now I can see what I have been sent. Seven individual size packages of cashews; a jar of Gaucho Tano Chimichurri that I can use as a dip for bread, potatoes, vegetables, cooked meat or fish and salad dressing. I am looking forward to trying this Argentine Italian Cowboy sauce; seasoning that has everything but the bagel blend. There is a note that this is my granddaughter's favorite seasoning blend; I find an assorted snack can with honey roasted peanuts, chili lemon corn sticks, honey mustard pretzels, and corn chips with flax seed. There is a note written on the lid "May not be the best for your diet but it looks tasty!"

I gather the wrapping and toss it into trash. The remainder of paper with my name and address I will shred. As I started to shred,  I saw my granddaughter's face looking up at me. Now I remember my daughter texting me and telling me that their Christmas card was on the package. I dug through the trash and salvaged what I could of the card and taped it. If one looks closely, the damaged card can be seen!

Netflix has been paid for me for a year and during the pandemic watching movies and documentaries has kept me sane!  Even though I am not with my family, I am still enjoying Christmas. Later tonight we will Zoom and I will be with them virtually. The ending of Christmas Eve will be my attending, on my laptop, midnight mass. Tomorrow I will try some of the goodies I received!

"It is Christmas every time you let

God love others through you.

Yes, it is Christmas every time you smile

at your brother and offer him your hand."

Mother Teresa

We zoomed from around 8:45 until the audio went out and then we switched and Facetimed until ten as I watched them open gifts and listened to their chatter. Made me feel as if I was with them.