When I was small, my grandmother on my mother’s side always hosted Christmas Eve dinner and gifts. As children we could not wait for Christmas Eve. My aunt Nancy always greeted us at the door with “Merry Christmas” for as long as I can remember. My grandfather had the football game blaring and would stop watching long enough to rub our heads. That was as much as you could expect from grandpa.

I was the oldest grandchild, my sister was next, and then my brother. My sister and I had a few years of being the only children at my grandmother’s house. When my brother can along, we also gained a cousin but again, it was a few years before the family had more children. So we were the center of attention at Grandma’s. But with this honor came great responsibility.