"Have yourself a merry > little Christmas. . . " > > They played parts of the song . . . it was beautiful the way he sang it. . . > emotional and a little on the sad side . . . Just beautiful!
The original lyrics of this song as sung by Judy Garland in 'Meet Me in St. Louis' are on the sad side: Once again as in olden days Happy golden days Of yore Faithful friends who are dear to us Will be near to us Once more Through the years we all will be together If the fates allow Until then we'll have to muddle through Somehow So have yourself A merry little Christmas now Travis & I were supposed be in Omaha this Christmas. My family was going to reunite for our first Christmas together in many years. Unfortunately my sister's employer would not give her the time off. She's an RN in a hospital where staffing is relying a lot on people hired as temps these days. Sandy has worked there for more than 15 years and apparently they didn't feel they could let her take a week off. To tell the truth, I really wasn't looking forward to traveling at this point in time and I'm glad we're not going through that ordeal. But I do feel sad that my family may not be able to be together for Christmas again while my parents are still with us. My mother's father emigrated to this country from Nuremberg Germany when he was 17. His story is a classic American Dream tale. He had nothing when he came here, settled in Keokuk, Iowa, married, had 8 children, lost his first wife, remarried a widow with 2 boys of her own and then fathered 2 more daughters. One of his second wife's sons died of a burst appendix when he was a kid and so the total count of siblings in my mother's family came to 11 who lived to adulthood. Grandpa worked hard and was one of the most generous, decent & intelligent human beings I have had the privilege to know, much less be related to. He was a vice president of the paper box company he worked for when he retired. He was also a mechanical genius who designed much of the machinery the company used in production. During my childhood, Grandma & Grandpa Thiem lived in a beautiful ranch style house that Grandpa had a hand in designing and that Grandma furnished & decorated with impeccable taste. Each Christmas Eve they would have a wonderful family party. All of my mom's family who still lived in Keokuk attended and often relatives from out of town would be there as well. The Thiems are scattered all over the country from Arizona to Virginia & Georgia but I think they all managed to get back for Christmas at one time or another. My grandmother was a wonderful baker & cook and there were food & holiday goodies of every sort, all made by Grandma. The adults had Grandpa's champagne punch and the whole evening was very special & very festive. At some point we would all go to the basement where there was a small Christmas Tree with acres of presents under it. There was one exchange gift and a gift for every single daughter, son, grandchild & great-grandchild from Grandma & Grandpa. Each gift was always something unique & special. My grandmother did the shopping & she had a knack for choosing just the right thing. Grandpa would pick up each package & call out the person's name. Waiting for Grandpa to call out your name was one of the highpoints of the holiday and cause for much excitement & anticipation for the kids in the Thiem family. The twinkle in his eye & the joy he put into this are something I will remember all of my life. His family was everything to him & we all loved him & Grandma with our whole hearts. Christmas Eve always brings memories of these family gatherings and colors the day & night before Christmas with a special glow for me. To all of you celebrating Christmas tonight & tomorrow, I wish you joy and hope & happiness. Cherish the time you spend with your families. Treasure all the good memories of past Christmases and if this isn't the best of times for you, never lose sight of your hope. Remember, Love's the greatest Beauty. It will prevail, always. Merry Christmas Love & Peace, Mark
