Murray Christmas!

After they put us to bed on Christmas eve night my folks would wait for a few minutes and then they'd lightly jingle some bells.  We'd all shout that it must be Santa and his reindeer outside.  And then they'd come up and tell us to go to sleep.  A few hours later we'd get up and run downstairs and under the tree would be piles of presents and we'd have a gift opening frenzy.  We'd play with our new toys and try on new clothes and generally have a great time.

Looking back on it all I'm not sure how they always pulled it off because we were dirt poor living hand to mouth in the projects in Detroit.  I'm sure they borrowed money from the rest of the family, I can only imagine how hard it must have been for them to ask, but somehow they always came through.  Mom had it rough raising five kids on a shoestring while having to deal with a mentally husband who was in and out of the hospital all the time, but somehow she did.  And dad had it rough dealing with his illness in a day when it was nearly verboten to admit that one had a mental illness.  They dealt with things the best way they could and they did a hell of a job.  I wish they were both here so I could thank them in person.

Mom and dad, you were the best.  The absolute best.  Happy eternity where ever you are.