Another merry Christmas
HodgePodge by Charlie Hodge
The man was beaming.
Clearly he was pleasantly pleased with the scenario that absorbed his kind attention while he tussled with his two sons. I know they were his sons because I was one of them.
I don’t remember the moment yet that’s the beauty of photographs. They remember us.
They retell the story. How well we recall precise incidents in pictures is often subject to our emotions connected to the time, place, and characters involved. Often they are the key editor in memories.
The black and white memory with the beaming man, Dad, has thrown a pleasant and positive curve at me. My father showing pleasure, kindness and the ability to actually ‘play’ is not a man I recall well while growing up. Over the years, however, I’ve come to try and remember the positive sides of dear old dad, and I find it especially easy this time of year. Dad loved Christmas, which I suppose is a big part of why I love the festive season as well. At Christmas my house remains a safe, warm, fun place to be. If I had my say Christmas would last 365 days of the year.
I discovered the picture in my hand of Dad by circumstance and so glad I did. Last month my brother Vic and sister-in-law Carole, flew in from Ontario and spent a week with us before heading to Mexico for several months. Two days into the visit I dug an old box out of the shed I thought might have some pics Vic may want. I shoved it in the back corner 20 years ago and since we’ve been separated by thousands of miles most of that time I had no reason to dig it out.
Bonanza! I daylighted a treasure trove of old photos. Vic and I spent a good dozen hours going through them, making copies, and trying to figure out who was who in the ancient art collection. Amidst the plethora of pics were shots of us as children plus our parents and grandparents as far back as their childhoods. It was riveting as a family tree type reality.
While we poured through them a number of heartwarming, lump in the throat pictures appeared. Many were of Christmases past at the Hodge house, or Grandpa Atkinson’s (Mom’s dad) home. A number were of my geekie looking self as a youngster drooling over my gifts (skates, etch-a-sketch, GI-Joe) Vic with his chemistry set, sister Sylvia modelling her pink dress… There were pictures of Grandpa and my Aunt Helen, Mom, the family pets – all enjoying their Christmas day. However, the pics that touched me most were of Dad smiling and engaging in conversation with everyone including us children. Not something he usually did until Christmas time.
Christmas dinner was always a big deal at the Hodge home. Dad and or Grandpa would religiously perform the turkey carving, Grandpa the toast, ‘Old Steve’ the blessing and all of us adorning the silly Christmas hats from the always popular Christmas crackers.
Dad would often find at least one person to join us as a guest. Sometimes he would find a complete stranger from some home, church, Salvation Army, the street, or other location, and bring them home for dinner. For many years we were joined by Old Steve for the day. Steve became a regular in our home and like a second dad to Vic and me. An old bush rat (and caretaker of the Anglican Church Camp) he taught us to hunt, track, and cuss – all sorts of wonderful skills that Dad couldn’t or wouldn’t do. (Both of those actions struck me as an oxymoron – or odd. He welcomed old Steve without seemingly any jealousy, and he would open his table to strangers at Christmas when normally he was not a tolerant or overly compassionate man. I never figured him but I also was not about to complain.
As the various years of Christmas dinners and frivolity kept popping out of the box the inspired tears no longer stayed hidden. I think Vic fought back a few himself. I was seeing a gentler side to the Dad than I recalled, and was relishing in warm memories of my family during Christmases in the past.
It’s been two weeks since Vic and Carole left and I have not had a chance to get back to the box. When Christmas is done and New Year’s celebrated, I will be turning my attention back to scanning those pics. I look forward to discovering more gems.
Meanwhile I have two days to finish decorating my house and help Tez decorate her baked goods.
On Christmas Eve, as I always have done, I will slip away to a quiet spot for half an hour or so and quietly analyze my world. I will reflect upon the year just past, then turn my thoughts to friends, those close and dear to me, and some that are no longer with us. I will then rejoin the land of the living, sit with my sweetheart near our tree, and be thankful for each other and the world around us.
And maybe take a picture or two.
Merry Christmas!
As a final reminder it’s time to submit your Charlie’s Christmas Angels List. Angels are simply folks who have gone above and beyond to assist or help others. Send me your list of caring folks who have made a difference in your life – or even just one day.
The criteria is simple – be a kind person who willingly does something nice for another.
Return the kindness by surprising them with a public thank you in the Angel list.
Email me your Angel’s names and reasons to charliehodge333@gmail.com.
