Celebration

My mother-in-law loved every holiday and celebrated with sparkle and Pinterest-worthy decorations. Her Stage 4
pancreatic cancer meant we would have only one more of each holiday with her. One more set of birthdays. One more Easter. Thanksgiving. Christmas.

That last Christmas came. She was homebound, wearing a mask to protect her from germs. We arrived with masks on and gifts. Simple gifts: books, magazines, framed school pictures of the kids.

The recent chemo trips had left her with no energy to get holiday decorations out of the attic. No tree and no light, no angels or Santas. Christmas cards sat unopened in the kitchen.

My husband and I headed out to shop for Christmas decorations. It was Christmas Eve and I didn’t expect to find many holiday options at stores. The shelves were nearly bare except for some lights and tinsel. One Charlie Brown tree sat next to the garden aisle fertilizer. We bought everything that they had.

While my mother-in-law slept, my husband, the kids and I put up strands of lights and filled in the bare spots of the tiny tree with butterfly ornaments. When she woke up, it was Christmas morning. Just like when I was a child, there was a tree and gifts and a celebration. There was new joy in the holiday morning!