Down by the Cypress Trees

No, not the sales events that you see on TV during the holidays.

December has always been my favorite month. My dad’s birthday is in December, mine is a week later in December, I have a cousin whose birthday is shortly before Christmas, and my paternal grandmother – the matriarch of the Baldwin family – never let us forget that she shared her birthday with Jesus.

She was a devout Catholic, and I can remember spending many a midnight mass at the Catholic church she attended in town. For as strict as she was with us grandkids, she had a heart of gold and never missed an opportunity to tell us or show us she loved us.

We lost her August 31, 2022, and having lived with us for nearly 20 years, it left a giant hole in my heart. She was one of my favorite people and I miss her every day.

Despite her absence this holiday season, there was so much to be joyful about, which is really what the holiday seasons should be about.

To start off, my girlfriend arrived on December 3, and spent an entire 16 days with me! I was amazed she could tolerate me that long. (Hehe, just kidding, I love you babe.) On a serious note, we had a spectacular time while she was here.

She got to meet my parents formally, and we mostly spent our days relaxing at the house while we worked together on our own things. She truly makes me a better person, and I picked up some pretty great habits while she was here — one of the things I would like to take more seriously is my blog and my writing, as well as just getting my priorities together in improving my life and my self.

While she was here, we also got to participate in some community events, including our town’s Christmas Parade. I used to participate as a child in this very same parade, waving to the crowd with our local Shrine Club as a Shriners Kid. If you have not heard about Shriners Hospitals for Children, read into their work. They helped shape me into the person I am today.

My 32nd birthday was on December 15, and we celebrated with family and friends that weekend together. And, there was cake and ice cream! Yum.

My brother and nephews got here on December 17 and spent about a week here. My brother unfortunately had to go home yesterday to get back to work, but my nephews are spending the rest of their winter break with us. My girlfriend had to leave on December 19 to get back home to start her own new job at the gym in her town (I am so proud of her), and things are slowly returning to a normal pace. But I look forward to 2024 with much to be grateful for, and so many good things ahead. Cheers, everyone!