Putting Up The Christmas Tree!

Putting up the Christmas Tree is a very beautiful and normal, needless to mention exciting event for most families. I hear you say most?

Sadly, for some it is a no go occasion!

I remember Christmas 2013 making the effort of lighting Christmas candles on the windows of our home, for no other reason than a message of HOPE, afterall I’d gone to England in the November to fight for our darling Beautiful Baba Oisín, his precious little sister and my Forever Con! I placed the candles on the windows at home and lit them but honestly found it very very hard!

This was my usual Christmas effort for many years, along with ‘The Christmas Day Swim’ in Newmarket. I’m no swimmer but it was a marvellous distraction for me and my family for many years. My darling sister Norma accompanied my wonderful driver Dad and I as we’d head for the Island Wood in Newmarket, where my fantastic brother Tomás would join me to swim for whatever great charity was nominated. Poor Mom was left at home to look after dinner with my great brother-in-law Michael as they awaited us. It was for me as someone who ‘can’t’ do normal Christmas, an amazing distraction, and to be honest for Mom, Dad and everyone else too! Sadly for all of us, it had to be discontinued in 2018.

That saw me having to make the effort to put up the Christmas Tree! I did it for many reasons.

Honestly, Reality hits even more when you open a box that you sealed from spiders in the attic in early 2012! You go through the magic of putting up the tree before!!!! You go through the magic of the putting away, the silly but beautiful conversations of what may happen in the year ahead before Santa’s next visit! Heartbreaking beyond words when those darling people you chatted with are gone, and their beautiful dreams and aspirations!

And then in 2020, almost 9 years since precious Christmas with Baba Oisín, I pull out the Christmas tree for Dec 8th, as Con always did. While I silently cry and shed tears meanwhile I find many beautiful, dear and precious, I mean, absolutely precious memories to the Christmas Tree!

In 2021 it actually didn’t get any easier. As I opened little decorations, there were ones that brought big tears and precious memories that I would give anything to relive, heartbreaking! And many others little bits that sent me a smile and a tear, remembering beautiful silly moments that happened putting up our tree in 2011!

Reality is time doesn’t change, yes of course I sadly get more used to living without My Beauties!

But does one ever get over? I’d truly worry if they did!

Con, Baba Oisín and Precious Little Lady were here for a reason!!

They made my life perfect and my goodness, truly beautiful, so why or how would I ever get over them! It’s not an option, My Beauties made me who I am! And I will always be Eternally grateful!

Just a thought, maybe spare an extra thought for someone you know who’s missing people this Christmas! There’s no recipe for how to help, but from my experience just a call, a word, a quick visit or a simple text, meant a lot of peace and kinda ”Christmas magic” in ever so not ‘Christmas magic’ times!