A Different Holiday
My dad was way ahead of his time. In the early 60’s, he brought home one of the first remote televisions, a Zenith. I remember it was a fairly large set and the remote had three buttons, On/Off, volume, and channel search. I’m sure current techno savvy generations would consider this the equivalent of a Model T compared to a Tesla. Yes, we’ve come a long way.
Around the same time, my pop bought a reel to reel tape recorder made specifically for home use. No comparison with what we can carry in the palm of our hands today, but it proved great fun, particularly on holidays, to pass the corded microphone around the living room as each of us struggled for something cleaver to say.
My Uncle Bob recited a poem which began “A boy stood on a burning deck…”, my sister Jennifer sang a tune, and Gramma Jennie every year seemed to recite the following sentiment; “I’m just sitting here looking around at my family and hope I’ll see them all again next year.”
She was probably in her seventies the first time she recorded her wish and we laughed years later when we listened to the tape because she lived many, many years beyond her premonition.
We always pulled out the old reel to reel at the holidays and would relisten to the silliness from past years. I remember one year, long after my grandmother had passed, seeing my mother reach for a tissue to dab away tears when she heard her mother’s voice. I get it.
There’s something about hearing a voice, even from the past, that brings that person to life again, if only in our hearts.
The holidays are rapidly approaching. The reality of spending Thanksgiving and Christmas not with people we love is possible and prudent. So, how do we make it memorable?
Call. Call a friend, a loved one, someone from your past or very much in your present. The sound of a voice relays so much more that a text or email. I’m a letter writer, but even though I love receiving a card that I can hold and reread knowing someone took the time to write, I find the sound of the phone ringing has a promise of connection, an exchange of not only words but emotions.
If you know someone who is alone, you have an opportunity to bring some joy on holidays that are usually spent in gatherings. Call.