If The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future Were To Visit Me....

Various film versions of the Charles Dickens' classic tale "A Christmas Carol" are being flashed all over the screen these days.  Most recently there has been a Jim Carrey cartoon version of the story.  I own the Muppets take on it and watched it with Vivian and Kirk a week ago.  You gotta love Gonzo as Dickens and Rizzo the Rat as his sidekick. One of my personal favorites though is "Scrooged" - the one with comedian/actor Bill Murray in it.   The list goes on and on. 

I was thinking yesterday about the notion of ghosts visiting me: the ghost of my Christmas past, the ghost of my Christmas present and the ghost of my Christmas future.  What would these unexpected guests show me?  What would I learn from them?  Let's pretend for a moment, shall we?

The Ghost of Mandy's Christmas Past
The past would begin with me at age five.  I would look like this:



(Are you loving the puffy sleeves or what?)

I am receiving a new bicycle for Christmas.  A beautiful shiny bike that will take me quite a long time to ride and cause myself and my parents many hours of frustration.

Two years later I receive a bloody nose at my second grade holiday party.  I had on this little white dress with a green Christmas tree on it.  Only the dress didn't stay white for long.... the blood from my nose would soon be splattered all over it.  I would end up in tears being hugged my Mrs. LeBlanc, my second grade teacher.  This was just the beginning of my bloody nose phase. 

At ages 7 - 12,  my mom was always fussing my brother Stuart and me, telling us to be thankful and grateful for any and all Christmas gifts we receive, even socks and clothing.  "That's just what I always wanted!" she'd force us to say to each aunt, uncle and cousin who offered us a present.

I think back to all the must-have gifts each season: Cabbage patch dolls.  The insane prices and fighting crowds over those hideously ugly dolls that came from a vegetable garden!  The pound puppies, the Barbie dolls, the pogo sticks and more!  I was one lucky kid and never felt abandoned or unloved on the holidays. 

I remember Maw Maw Ethel's house, a tiny home that would pack in way more people than a fire marshall would allow.  So many folks that when one person left their seat to go to the bathroom, someone else would quickly grab it.  Otherwise you were stuck sitting on the floor.  I recall Great Maw-Maw Louise turning red and getting tispy because my dad and my uncles spiked  her egg nog and holiday punch.  This house had the best spread of desserts anywhere -- from rum balls to chocolate cake to turtle candies to homemade fudge and pralines. 

I recall the holidays on the Kelpsch side of the family where each year we gained a new family member or grand kid or great grand kid.  Soon we couldn't even remember some of the names of the attendees.  I loved how everyone pitched in pot luck style.  From chicken wings to macaroni and cheese.... from gumbo to Mexican doritos casserole.  We had a little bit of everything and it was all good stuff!

I laugh remembering the first Christmas (in 2001) when I brought Kirk along to meet my family.  We were not even engaged yet.  My brother and he kept drinking wine for several hours.  Soon Kirk was feeling dizzy and I had to drive us home that night. 

I hold my stomach as I recall my first Christmas in Ohio, in 2005, the very first holiday without my family.  I was living 8,000 miles away from every tradition I had known.  I became violently sick, caught a stomach virus and spent the entire day sleeping on the couch or vomitting in the bathroom.  In between puking though I did manage to watch "It's A Wonderful Life" for the first time ever.  Kirk took care of me and held my hair back too.

I think back fondly to the first Christmas after Vivian was just born, in 2007.  She was just two months old and the holiday took on a much greater meaning with her in our family.  Beautiful tiny Vivian and her strong hands and the beginnings of a smile!





These are just a few of my Christmas pasts.  And I'm so happy that they are part of my life, even the not so great ones!  My memories are part of my personality and values.


The Ghost of Mandy's Christmas Present:
The present would include many pleasant surprises.  I want to pinch myself most days to make sure I'm not dreaming. 

This year has brought me many joys and reasons to celebrate.  I'm happy to be a current stay-at-home mom, spending time with this diva daughter of mine every day:




Together we explore our community of Pensacola, Florida.  We have great friends in our lives.  This year, my parents will be visiting us for the holidays.  We have a trolley ride with Santa and his elves planned in two days.  We're also going to order out dinner - a holiday ham and sides from a local restaurant.  It should be stress-free and full of fun! 

Vivian is now three years old and she is so much fun to be around.  It will be a great time seeing her open presents and witnessing her reactions to the things we have for her - a bicycle, a train set and much more!   She's so expressive and delighted to see things like the holiday decorations, tree and lights.  What fun it is to see Christmas through a child's eyes like hers!



Kirk already received his main present, a new flat-screen TV for our living room.  He's very happy with that.  I have two more small stocking stuffer surprises for him though.   For my Christmas, I received most of what I wanted already - new kitchen gadgets, clothes and a few odds and ends.

Best of all, I surprised myself this year with a book that I wrote and self published.  I completed a lifelong dream of mine.  The book is now being distributed to family, friends and referrals.   Next week I'm receiving my own feature in a local newspaper.  I even had my first photo shoot yesterday.  I couldn't be more thrilled!




I plan to relish in this special holiday season.  To relax, be merry, drink and just enjoy this precious time while it is happening!  I have much to be cheerful about and to be thankful for!



The Ghost of Mandy's Christmas Future:
This is the tricky one!  I have no clue what the future holds for me.  The unknown is often a scary thing too.  

Will I turn into the cranky, ungrateful old lady Maxine whose every word creates a negative feeling:

That is a possibility since both of my grandmothers often don't view life on the bright side.

Or will I be happy - dancing, having fun and throwing myself a parade like only Liza Minnelli could do?

I hope I will be the perfect balance of them both.  I'll have Maxine's spunk and sarcasm along with Liza's booty-shakin' skillz and optimism.  After all, she's not given up on love yet. 

I dream that my future will include hopefully another book or literary project of mine.   I'm not quite sure exactly what I want to do next....  But I think it will just come to me, when the time is right. 

I hope that my future includes a younger sibling for Vivian.  It's funny how unsure I was about her for the first year (even two years).  It took awhile before I really liked her as much as I knew I loved her.  Now, I just can't picture my life without her and I dream of giving her the opportunity to be a big sister.  Time will tell what happens in that department though. 

I want the Christmas future to include more growth opportunities and success for Kirk at his job.  But hopefully less demands and stress on him too.   He's so talented and wonderful.  I know he can do anything!

I really hope the future will include more family fun, vacations, and laughter.  More anniversary outings and couple's dates would be nice too.  Kirk and I hardly get the chance to see movies or eat out alone. 

I hope that at a Christmas in the near future, I will be reunited with Maw-Maw Ethel and the Babins' again.  And I hope to have another potluck holiday function with the Kelpsch family too.  It has been five years since I have celebrated a Christmas with everyone in the extended family!  It would be great to see them all in one room again.

Hopefully the Christmases of my future will be joyful, merry and celebrated with those people that I love and cherish most!  Because that is what life is all about!


What would your Christmas past, present and future look like?  Share a memory or a wish in the comments section.  Or better yet, play along by posting this game on your blog between now and the New Year! 

Merry Christmas Everyone!  I hope it's a great one for you! 

Lots of love and Seasons Greetings!