2022 attending author Kimberly O'Malley
Christmas Morning Tradition
I grew up in a very small family that
lacked in a lot of traditions. Because of this, I always felt a bit jealous of
those who had long-standing ones. It seemed all my friends had tons of holiday
traditions, whether midnight mass on Christmas Eve or huge dinners with
extended family. Not us, but we did have one very special tradition that
started when I was very young.
As long as I can remember, Christmas
morning meant gathering at the top of the stairs and waiting to be called down
to open gifts. I was the youngest of three and the only girl, so this meant
fighting my way down to see what Santa had brought! My older brothers had no
trouble shoving me out of the way in pursuit of their new bike or whatever they
thought awaited them under the tree. I learned early to hold my own…
As we grew older, this tradition
became even funnier. We no longer fit on one step and had to stagger ourselves.
My poor husband had no idea what he was getting himself into… There were many
Christmas mornings at my mother’s home with he and I perched on the stairs
while she organized things in the living room. But he was always a good sport
and grew to enjoy our little game.
After we had our own family, of
course, the tradition continued! Each Christmas morning, no matter how eager,
our two kids knew they had to wait at the top of the stairs. The dogs waited
with them, since they are our ‘kids’ also. Only fair, as our human kids pointed
out. Since I worked nights throughout their childhood, some years this meant
they waited for me to drag my tired self home. But the thought of them waiting
put some pep in my step!
This year, like all the others, my kids
will sit at the top of the steps and wait to be summoned. They are now 17 and
19, and I do not know how many years of this tradition we have left. I can only
hope it continues on with their own kids like it did for mine.
Eighteen months ago, Amy Windsor’s world imploded. Andrew, the love of her life, died in the line of duty, destroying her vision of forever. Unsure of how to move on without him, Amy’s life is stuck in an endless loop of grief she can’t escape.
Travis “Mac” Mac Gregor was a paramedic on the scene when his friend Andrew died. When he runs into Amy at the cemetery, he recognizes an all too familiar anguish. In that moment, he decides to help coax her out of her cocoon of grief, knowing it could prove to be a Herculean effort. Daily runs. Clearing out Andrew’s belongings. An unlikely friendship develops, and then... something more.
But in the wake of such a tragic loss, Mac fears he’s simply a stand-in for her departed love. Are his fears justified? Or is the bond between he and Amy strong enough to coax her back to the land of the living?
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