Seventh in a series......
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| Christmas Lights and Celebration |
A Series of Short Stories
By: Jacqueline E. Hughes
If a formal Bucket List existed for me, spending the Christmas Holidays in Ireland once in my lifetime would rank astronomically high on that list! Certainly one of the greatest challenges of my life has always been wishing to be someplace other than where I am at the moment.
It definitely isn't that being wherever I am makes me unhappy......it's just that I've been, more or less, a 'packed suitcase and ready-to-go' type of person forever! I remember packing for four when the girls were young and calculating how many trips we had taken within a twelve month period. Whether it was a warm, week-long stay on Sanibel Island, Florida, during the winter or a balcony enhanced room at The Iroquois Hotel on Mackinac Island in the summer, I made certain we were packed and ready-to-go and never allowed any dust to settle on anyone's suitcase.
Many of our trips consisted of weekend visits to be with our two sets of parents who lived in Three Rivers, Michigan, and was an hour and a half drive away from our front door. Of course, this was always a 'slippery slope' for us considering we were sharing their two granddaughters, as well as time, between the two sets of grandparents. But, we always seemed to manage and adjust, as everyone must, eventually! Even the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays were strategically planned-out with maximum give-and-take provided by all parties involved. We always envied most of our siblings for marrying "out-of-towners" and making Grandparental Time-Sharing a bit less hectic.
Our unintentional fondness towards "island hopping" began with a honeymoon in Aruba so many years ago. Aruba was a Dutch owned island at the time, yet to be discovered by tourists back when we landed on its sandy shores. Its surreal beauty and tendency to be wild and natural, for the most part, adhered us to the island lifestyle. We celebrated our sun-drenched freedom with long walks along the beach, dodging the surf. Once, a local, asked me if I would like to ride his saddled horse along the beach at sunset.....no strings attached! Really? What an unforgettable experience as the sun began to majestically slide into the Caribbean Sea and the horse and I pranced along in sweet rhythm. Then, my husband decided to play golf with another couple we had met who were newly-weds, as well. I can still recall the warning given to all of us at the clubhouse before navigating the sandy, totally devoid of grass, nine hole course: "Never enter the rough (scrub brush) to retrieve your ball because you might meet a rattle snake face-to-face. Play another ball!"
We've been spirited away by the island gods for so long now that it fails to amaze me when we slide into our natural tendency to choose yet another island adventure. So many islands; so little time! (As an avid reader, I often use this phraseology with regard to books). Several years ago we had the French island of St. Martin on our radar and knew it would be a perfect scenario for us to be able to enjoy the French lifestyle and language closer to home. And, we did! Mere steps from our hotel door, we entered our small, French village for the week and watched the local men playing pétanque, the Provençal lawn bowling game, right in the town square. Tourists mingled with the locals as, together, we ate the fresh catch from the sea, shopped at the marketplace and observed the French children at play.
Several other islands I have 'scoped-out' for future observation include the British Isle of Guernsey located in the English Channel just off the northern coast of France, Majorca, an island located in the Mediterranean Sea and near the coast of Spain, as well as Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the Canadian Province of Quebec.
Believe it or not......all of this leads me back to Ireland and the desire to see this 'magical jewel' sparkle at its best during the Christmas Season like a dark green, velvet cloak sprinkled with crystal snowflakes and dazzling colored lights! This Season is a very special time of the year anywhere you might be, especially when you are with those you love and hold dear.
That's exactly where you will find us this year....contentedly snuggled in front of a crackling fire with five of the most darling children helping to keep us warm, secure and happy. If Papa and I are brave, we will help them make snowmen outside and then return indoors for steaming mugs of hot cocoa and mountains of books to be read to them throughout our visit. With a modern twist to the traditional Christmas carol sung around the artfully decorated tree, it's over the river and through the woods to our daughters' houses we go......and, Papa and I are looking forward to each and every moment of it. When the need to be someplace else during this special time of the year hits us again, and it will, I have this feeling that we'll be taking quite a few people along with us for the ride. For now, my precious island is called Happiness and it exists in our hearts.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!!
