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Christmas On The Way

American neighborhoods are preparing for Christmas. Many houses are decorated in colorful electric lights, and it is a common occurrence these days to drive by cars on the freeway, carrying fresh Christmas trees in their trunks or on their roofs. My sons and I will probably set up our Christmas tree this weekend. I don't like "killing" a tree for my pleasure, so I have a reusable Christmas tree which I set up every year. I will show you a picture of it when it is set up. For the past 23 years, except for one year when I was really sad and lost, I have had a Christmas tree in my house in the US or in Iran around this time of the year. I love decorating it with ornaments I have collected from all over the world over the years, some of which are things my children made when they were in daycare. Though we celebrate Nowrooz extensively and vigorously in our Iranian home every year, I decided a long time ago that I wouldn't pass up the chance to celebrate other beautiful ceremonies, such as Christmas, in addition to the "traditions" my children and I developed for ourselves.

I went to see the "twins" tonight. They are my niece's 2.5 year-old daughters. I am so happy they are here for a few weeks. I have been surrounded by adults for the past 2 years and I had forgotten the joy of having not one, but two 2.5 year-old angels around me. They sang and danced and played around me. We did Atal Matal Tootooleh about 100 times, and I taught them a new song. They are already bilingual and speak Farsi and French, so it was challenging to figure out what they were saying half the time! I kicked myself again for the thousandth time tonight for having cut so many French classes in high school, learning no French, but a lot of other things I shouldn't have been learning about! Hee Hee, the memories made me laugh again tonight! Don't tell my kids this, but I was such a handful for my poor parents!

I am getting ready to tell you a love story soon. No, I'm not in the story. It is a beautiful story of chances lost and love found. It is a true story. Brace yourselves, I'll tell it soon.