Good Morning,
My family and I enjoyed a cozy Christmas morning this year, getting up early, opening presents and then enjoying a large home-cooked breakfast. It was a fun time, with plenty of laughs and happy memories.
I would like to think that all of my Christmases have been so heartwarming. That, though, is not the case.
Flash back to 1989, in Buffalo, New York. I had dropped out of college and worked at the Church of Scientology. It was a snowy day and every member of the staff vanished to be with their families. My family was back on Long Island or western Connecticut and would not see them for a few weeks yet. I was slated to work the morning shift to around 5 PM and then someone would come in and work the evening shift from 5 PM to 10 PM.
In the morning, some friends came by with a warm breakfast for me. I was delighted to be thought of. I had no money, and lived literally hand to mouth those days. Outside of that breakfast, I ate stale crackers and jelly in from the break room. I wandered around the office all day, nothing much to do. I kept getting calls from the regional office checking to see how well I was doing on selling courses and getting people to come in. You can laugh, I did.
Around 5 PM, my relief called in and said they were not coming in, that I had to cover their shift too. Well, why not, I was there and doing nothing anyway. Around 7 PM, one of the staff members who was currently living in the building itself, there were two at the time, came around and invited me to a movie and dinner. He too had no one to spend Christmas with, and together we went to the movie theater in downtown Buffalo (one of the two or three places actually open in the evening in Buffalo).
That Christmas was a time was one of sadness and joy, of being alone, remembered by friends, and abandoned. It was a time where I truly rued my choices that led me to that day. I much rather have been with my family celebrating the holiday, but I had to live with my choices.
That evening, at the movies and at dinner, we had a family of two. We celebrated Christmas together, and made a happy ending to an otherwise sad day.
This experience taught me that no matter where you are, you can create a family experience with whoever you are with.
And in that togetherness, there is some of the best experiences we may come to look back lovingly upon.
Enjoy the Christmas holidays with whomever your are with, family, friends, pets, etc.
Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net
http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
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