Nostalgia finds me every year at this time......

My grandparents were married in 1935. 

I glanced at the calendar earlier and saw "Grandma and Pap Anniversary-1935" on Sat, Dec 22nd, and thought, wow.

If they were still here, tomorrow they would be celebrating 83 years of marriage. 

Does longevity like this still exist today? 

I think, for the lucky, it does.

I asked my mom about her birth date being 8 years after Pap and Grandma got married. 

She replied: "Yes. Marilyn born in 1936. Winnie born in 1940. Mary in 1942 and me in 43. Chuck in 1947, Jane in 1952 and Debbie in 1956".

Marilyn was the first born to my grandparents. Back in the day as it was, there were complications during her birth, where the Doctor  unfortunately had to decide who to save. Marilyn passed away the day she was born. We didn't have the pleasure of knowing her here, on this earth. I heard them say many times, she was beautiful.

When my family sings Happy Birthday to any one of us on our special day, my Grandpa, i.e. "Pap" would always end the song with, "get out and wallllllllllllk".

I still do this today, in his honor. It often makes us all a bit teary-eyed, but in a good way. 

It's in remembrance, you see. 

Christmas time is here. While we all often think of loved ones that are no longer with us, all year through, I think their absence is especially felt during the holiday season. 

I remember some of the days-gone-by stories told, of Christmas past and what the world was like back then.

For my mom's generation, their "queue" to come out of their bedrooms and slumber to welcome Christmas, was hearing Bing Crosby's "Jingle Bells" playing in the background. Many of us in my family continue this tradition today. 

Nostalgia finds me every year at this time. I fondly pull the memories from my mind and smile, remembering the celebrations each year. 

Mazel Tov to my Pap and Grandma, I think of them every day. If I go to the post office, I think of Pap. His career was with USPS. "Parcel post!" he would yell, as he drove the postal truck down the alley, tossing the package to the porch it belonged to. My mom often riding with him, passed along this memory to us.

If I'm cooking, I think of grandma, who rarely measured anything with exact specifications. She was a "just a pinch" type of girl. I hope I measure up, it would be the best goal I could ever reach in my lifetime.

Merry Christmas to you dear friends. If you are blessed to still have the older generation in your family still with you, ask them about their Christmas memories. Write it down, you will be so glad you did. 

Here's to our 2018 season and the promise of the New Year. May the memories you create this year, last a  lifetime.

See you soon friend,

Tiffany

PS During the holidays, Breakfast at Tiffany's will be in remembrance of when I was  a little girl, watching Sesame Street while my mom fixed us breakfast and served it on metal trays decorated with our favorite Sesame Street characters. For me, that was Big Bird. I just loved him!