“It’s Time For The Christmas Dance”
My “Granny” has been gone since 1985. She was born in 1900. Her 85 years were filled with lots of hard work. Physically, she was just a little woman; maybe measuring 4’11” on her best days and weighing around 100 lbs.. In her younger days, she took care of her aging mother, shared a home with her two older brothers, raised my father and his younger sister (without a husband), and made her way back and forth from the mountain where she lived to the Rock Hill Elementary School where she cooked in the cafeteria. Most of the time she walked the 6 miles from the house to the school in the mornings, before the break of day. She repeated the trek in the evenings. She did it regardless of the weather; unless she was able to hitch a ride for some of the journey. When she retired from the “lunch room” she had put in more than thirty-five years of time.
My “Granny” had a beautiful singing voice; an alto. She was a much sought after songstress in the “Sacred Harp/Shaped Note” style of singing. (At times, I am able to hear her voice as she sings some of those old hymns- “Come ye sinners, poor and needy, weak and wounded by the fall, Jesus ready stands to save you…) Although I have forgotten some of her lessons, I find that I am still able to sing “Do-Rae-Me-Fa-So-La-Tee-Do” by reading the shapes of the notes as written in a “songbook” from years ago. By no means am I able to stay on pitch and “carry the tune” like she could; even later in her life.
When I was but a lad, in the cool of the evening, we would sit on her front porch. It seems as though we would always be breaking beans, hulling peas, or preparing some other vegetable for preserving. We would talk. We would watch the chickens “go to roost”. And, of course, my Granny would sing; often some old mountain ballad or a hymn. Those were good days, special in my memory.
When the holidays come around, especially Christmas, my thoughts return to my memories of those I hold dearest that are physically gone, but yet remain very much alive with me. My mother, my grandparents ,my daughter, my brother, uncles, aunts, cousins, friends, and so many others that have touched my life in wonderful ways are foremost in my thoughts. Each one of them are treasures that I consider to be of great value.
Now, my Granny loved Christmas. She would get all excited about everything related to Christmas, two things in particular come to mind. First of all, I remember how much she enjoyed watching “Charlie Brown’s Christmas”. When she knew it was going to be coming on the TV she would be certain to remind us to watch it. The second thing, after the main Christmas meal was cleared away, she would tell my father “Ted, put on that record. It’s time for the Christmas dance!” All of the furniture from the middle of the room where we were gathered would be scooted out of the way, Dad would crank up the record player, the music would begin, and all of us (young and old) would do the Christmas dance. “Flat-footin’, Buck-dancin’, cloggin’, kickin’-yer-heels-up”, whatever you might want to call it; we did it! Often, the sounds of the laughter was louder than the sounds of the music from the record. We had a good time!
Whatever the traditions that surround your celebration of the holidays, may they be thoroughly enjoyed. After all, “It’s time for the Christmas dance”!