Photo by: clb

“I really do love the Holidays, but I am not feeling the Christmas spirit…,”

…writes Jenny, over at her journal blog called Mountain Mama. Jenny’s blog happens to be one of my favorites on DeafRead, because her stories are the stuff that make up authentic living. Just as her title bar says,

Photo by: mricon

And, on her side bar, she lets you know that while she doesn’t care much for politics, she does care about life and creative, soulful living.

“If you like what you see, stay awhile, pull up a chair and enjoy,” she warmly invites. But she also gently advises that, “If what you see doesn’t give you a kick, shoo!”

I love Jenny’s simple and honest approach to her journaling, and her posts are well written, often witty, and sometimes downright hilarious! Overall, her stories of her mountain hearth and home always warm the heart. Jenny’s blog posts are usually placed in DeafRead Extra and I always go looking for Mountain Mama there. While her blog posts are not always about being deaf, they are always about being real. Her blog gives me great perspective on life and a good dose of domestic creativity (or guilt) . Jenny’s recent post entitled, “HO-Ho-ho” captured my heart and reminded me of similar times.

“Maybe it is because we can’t afford to do any sort of shopping and I have to go to the food store on a very tight budget. Not that we spent gobs of money on presents in the past, but there was usually an average of $25 per person spent plus a couple of homemade gifts and the baked goods. Maybe it’s because I wish I could buy more fabric to make things. Or I wish I could buy more ingredients to bake things. Or I wish we didn’t have to worry about money.”

With her husband out of work, times are hard and money is tight. This has put a bit of damper on Jenny’s holiday spirit.

“The Holidays are supposed to be about giving and spending time with each other and taking a moment to celebrate Jesus’ birthday, I know all this, but that sense of dread keeps creeping back… and I am trying to get out of this funk by making things.”

Jenny’s simple Christmas wishes are the kind that we can all relate to — the stuff that make up the American Dream…

“A phone call from someone telling him he got the job. Something steady with a good health insurance plan…. happiness and togetherness and lots of food to eat and lots of merry-making.”

Below is what I wrote in response to Mountain Mama, one of my favorite deaf, female bloggers:

Ah, Jenny…

I have been in this place before. I recall one year when we lived in a tiny, pink cottage, isolated in the lovely, but lonely hills of Fairfax, CA, north of San Francisco. Both my husband and I were without work and living on the generosity of my husband’s aunt who was letting us stay rent-free in her vacant 1 1/2 bedroom cottage until we found work.

It was Christmas time and we had very little to spend on our son, each other or family. That year, I was blessed with a few unpainted ceramics and paint my grandmother was getting rid of. I purchased 3 paint brushes from a yard sale and a package of magnets. I got busy painting and made magnets for everyone in my family that year.

As for my then 3 yr. old son, he wanted one specific toy, so we got it for him and 2 small dollar store toys to fill his stocking.

We had no money for a tree that year, but we had an old tomato wire that when turned upside down, made the cone-shape of a tree. I happened to have some fake pine garland and wrapped it around the wire to make our tree. Decorations for the tree were homemade and sparse, but we went on leaf walks together and picked up pine cones and other pretties from nature’s bounty to add to our little tree.

That x-mas eve, I cried because I had nothing to give to my husband, nor he to me. But I was graced with creativity and an idea at the last minute. I saw an old cardboard box bottom from a case of soup we had purchased. It had 8 small circles cut into it. I took it out of the package and then rummaged through some old photos of my husband and I. I found 8 different snapshots of the two of us kissing over time. I placed each photo behind the cardboard circles and painted the front of it, taking care to write a note in calligraphy about our kisses.

That morning, I placed my husband’s gift up against our little tree next to our son’s only present, and a mysterious card in an envelope that had appeared there overnight.

The card was from my husband who had written at length, how much he loved me, and that his gift to me was an afternoon of “time to myself.” As a new mom, I sorely needed this. He had assured me that he would take care of our son all day so that I could get away and do whatever I wanted - window shop, nature walk, hot bath, whatever…

We both had tears that day, especially watching our son’s eyes light up at getting the one toy he had especially wanted. The other two small gifts in his stocking went practically unnoticed. He had received what he had wished for and his heart was full.

My husband and I sat back and thought for a long time that day at how much we had, in the past, needlessly spent on each other and on family for Christmas, when in reality, it’s truly the thought that counts.

You have inspired me to no end, this year, Jenny, by sharing your heartfelt stories of being a rural deaf mom and wife. You are a domestic goddess in my book, with a heart of gold. You are incredibly thrifty, and tremendously creative. You have been able to put life in perspective over time and have highlighted the true spirit of family all year long. You are a role model to me and many other moms out there. While I absolutely understand where your spirit is at right now, know that your spirit is one of the most authentic, sincere and beautiful souls on earth.

It’s the simple holidays that mean the most to your family in the end. They get to look back and see how much love was there and how creative you were to bring the holiday spirit in their lives.

Keep your chin up, dear one. Your life is good.

~ LaRonda

If you have not yet visited Jenny’s blog over at Mountain Mama, give yourself a gift this season and spend a while there. It’s just simple goodness. Some of my favorite 2007 posts there are: Birthday Boy, Taking Stock, Sex Ed. 101 for Women, and Unwelcome Visitor.

Posted by LaRonda on Friday, December 14th, 2007 at 5:56 pm.