Christmas with the Whitlows

Christmas Eve night is when the Whitlows get together. For years we met at the house I grew up in; the house where my dad still lives. When all three of us boys got married and had families, we grew too large for Dad's house, so now we rotate between the brother's houses. This year Ryan is hosting. I remember so many Christmases with my brothers. As kids, we would get up after dad let us know it was okay and run headlong into the hot, bright lights of the light bar on the 8mm movie camera.

With Greg being 6 years older than I, he was married with kids before I left my parent's house. He replaced the 8mm camera with a huge camcorder that took a lot longer to set up, but it amazed us by allowing us to see replays instantly instead of having to send the film to the drug store for processing.

All three of us are fully middle-aged, now and each of us bear the scars of 50+ years of life. We all have married children and two of us have grandchildren. All three of us have had years when Christmas brought an end to a year at least one of us was glad to see end. We've all had our ups and downs; years of prosperity and years of lack, years of great successes and years of great struggles, but we have always been able to laugh and act stupid at the Christmas Eve get-together.

This year, the only significant change will be that not all of our married kids will be present. Our children won't be begging to start opening presents while we act like we need to go get another plate of food before we start. Our kids have their own families, now and obligations to in-laws, not to mention the beginning of their own Christmas traditions. Man, we three have really gotten old. Thankfully, there will be some children there and it will be lots of fun making them agonize over the opening of their presents.

I have been blessed. Both of my brothers and I have always lived in OKC near my folks so there have been no missed Christmases by any of us. I nearly missed one year because of being on a job in north Louisiana, but I drove 8 hours and got home just a little late. Mom passed a few years away, but her presence is still with us. She loved Christmas and us so much there are always good stories to keep her with us.

So this year, as I take inventory, we brothers are doing okay. We all have jobs, and are all healthy. Dad is still with us. It will be fun. The food will be good. I am blessed.