Thirty-eight years of the largest Christmas tree, more arguments that it wouldn’t fit, needed two people to carry it, not enough lights and I was always right — but the tree was the most important part of Mike’s Christmas holiday. Our tree was memorable and we had to keep it up till January 6th, dead and all. Everyone came to see Mike’s Christmas tree. How I miss these memories. Just not the same.

My father always loved the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade and now I have tears in my eyes every year when it starts. He’d wander through the kitchen taking small bites of food to “help check” how things were going but stayed away from the cooking because he burnt everything he touched.

We grew up very poor but every year the holidays were a huge blowout because he’d saved a little from each paycheck to be certain we had a big Christmas morning, even though it meant giving up things he needed during the year. Every year I’d search for the best dad gift — he had a great sense of humor so I worked hard to find a funny one.

Now I walk through the stores and see the “perfect dad gift” and realize I don’t have anyone to give it to. My holiday spirit is gone now, I have to keep up the traditions and put on a happy face but all I want is for the holidays to be over and done without him.

This was Mike’s holiday. He loves the food, didn’t mind the traffic driving to Long Island, couldn’t wait for pumpkin pie. Covid, you cruel thief. You took away so much from me.

This Thanksgiving I remember my dad, the biggest pumpkin pie fan that ever existed (especially my mom’s extra spicy version). He called it “Punkie Pie” and you knew never to put whipped cream on his enormous piece. It “masked the taste of a perfect thing,” he said. He would always make sure there was enough for a cold piece the next day for breakfast, eaten no utensils necessary.

Halloween to my husband Mike was bigger than Christmas. For a guy who never took off of work, this was the one day he would rush home to be there to go trick or treating with the kids. His job was to take them out at night to all the spooky houses. He drove our big old green van and when the door opened it was like the clown car at the circus. Everyone would get out and run up and down a street and keep going till very late. I don’t know who had more fun–Mike or the kids. Me? by that time I was with a cup of tea, exhausted!!

Such great memories.