"I hope I shall remember, in future," said Lady Russell, as soon as they were reseated in the carriage, "not to call at Uppercross in the Christmas holidays."
-Persuasion
This quote makes me think of Christmases with my family when we were growing up. A large (by today's standards, unfortunately) family, we were rather a rowdy, boisterous, fun-loving, noisy bit of a group. From the inside looking out, I have no idea what others thought of us. I loved us! I wouldn't change any of it. I can't comprehend small families. I truly cannot. But I guess the small ones can't comprehend the large! :-)
I don't know if Christmas was more or less rambunctious. Part of me thinks we were a little calmer, for after the Christmas story reading and the fun family present opening (I loved doing that all together), we went off and did whatever. Played our new computer game(s). Watched our new movies. Read our new books. Ate our new cereal. (Mmmm...) Played with our new toys.
As we got older, the football games came on and the family games came together. Lunch became a deli smorgasbord that I loved. It was an entire day of the entire family in the entire house. Those moments have always been rare. So one can imagine why I love Christmas!
But I am biased. Of course. What did the outsiders think of us? Did they go away like Lady Russell, thinking "Oh my word that family is crazy!!!" They weren't off the mark, but I wonder if they thought it was a bad crazy instead of the awesome crazy that I know it as. And did they think we were worse at Christmas time? Personally I would say no. I really think we only got quite riled up when the missionaries came over on Christmas Eve. (I will never forget watching 6 elders doing The Brady Bunch while waiting for my older brother to come home for the holidays.)
Ah well. Lady Russell was a bit of a snob, had no children of her own. and was a widow of however many years. She had no family to know that Christmas just isn't Christmas without some element of family. No matter how noisy.
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