"...pole star"

The Holiday season the Yule is our pole star. One that the whole year revolves around. Today in our country is Thanksgiving Eve. On this day and night families no matter their circumstance do as best they can to prepare. The cooking and makings for the start of the Yule season. I remember back when cars had fins milk was delivered in bottles children could wander safely, and you could have TV in any color as long as it was black, and white.

In that faraway time before we crammed space with debris jammed flags on da Moon and Mars. When online meant waiting to get into a movie. I remember Aunts, and Uncles tons of cousins' friends pouring into each other’s houses. These for the grand slams of Thanksgiving Christmas and the New Year.

I remember our house.

All dolled up our traditional six-foot tree the aroma of cooking. Decorations some going back to the early 1900's mixed with flashy electrics of the then 50’s. Dad, and the uncles all gathered in the daddy spots yacking guy stuff. Work sports the army…WW2 recently over. That and what routes they took to get out here. Most came on Eisenhower's new Interstates. I remember the railing paint was still fresh!

My Ma, and the aunts in the mommy space…the kitchen. Going on about how them uncles drove them totally crazy who was graduating college and who was having a baby. Babies. I remember babies showing up all the time. Endless new cousins even a new sister.

Meanwhile our dog Brownie was under the table listening. That’s what dogs do for kids. They listen to what’s really going on. Then tell all good girls, and boys what’s coming their way. Good Dog!

Presents.

Besides tearing the house and yard apart my siblings' cousins and I dreamed. We wondered at the neat stuff coming our way. Santa never let us down. …mostly. Still waiting for that dammed bike from 1959! Com'on Santa, you owe me. Despite gaffs we was seriously into that guy.

The Sears Roebuck Christmas catalogue that the mailman would slip us was an instruction manual for Yule heaven. We thought Santa ran Sears. At least at Christmas. ...made sense at the time.

Before the age of fast-food gluttony folks only pigged out once or twice a year. This was da deal for over a thousand years. Enter the Christmas Turkey aka Thanksgiving part two. It was swell. In this rant all the holidays morph together into one long meal...because it was.

My ma made this magical veggie stuffing. She was always ahead of the curve. Magic is da word. Yeah, there was static every kind of family has plenty but bleep it. It was the Yule. We was all gleefully stuck together in the weird but loving amber of family and friends.  We had each other. …and it mattered.

The House.

All gewgawed out. Collaged for Thanksgiving Christmas New Years missed birthdays and efforts at peace offerings. Life is complicated. Lights bright decorations cards on every surface. The aroma of cooking filled every room. Near every house. While playing outside we could smell the turkeys' pies cakes sauces everywhere every street. Homelessness happened during the Depression and was over. It's cruel return was still decades away.

Later we sat said grace meant it then the passing of food. All manner of wonders. Laughing the telling of stories, fights almost starting then fizzing out over cider. The damned electric trains chasing itself around the tree. The tree btw bright blinking it’s soul to heaven.  We were family we were friends we were together.

Remember these were Depression, and WW2 folks. Those that could made sure their kids had at least a taste of security. As my ma told me years later. She dad, and our aunts, and uncles. They gave us our cousins everyone good memories on purpose. They knew what desperation was, and what it did. They deliberately created a sense of harmony despite everything. They so loved us.

There was music. My family all sides played instruments. Before the digital era it was common for folks to play their own music. In them days This when ash trays were all over the place and integration was slowly becoming a good idea. Folks made their own music. Having instruments, and sheet music around da house was normal...as were manners.

We sang carols. My dad played the piano assorted uncles aunts accompanied on violin and viola. Everyone sang. Even me shy as I was. We really believed in things. Each other our country…even G-d.

Yule gatherings have been with us for 1000's years, and more. Beginning as wilderness Solstice rituals. It’s been observed by many peoples around the world forever. It was nearly the first thing our species figured out...just after beer. Family friends gather at certain points in the year for a reason. A kindly one. In times like now with divisions war plague it's even more important. Keep Love in your hearts. Bless you all. Be brave be safe be wise be kind.