Making a merry Christmas out of nothing

In 2000, a house fire destroyed the old farmhouse that had been in my family for four generations.

Besides the house fire, that was a difficult year for me with many changes. One son went to New York, and the other son went to Kansas.

By the time the house fire happened, both sons had just returned home to stay. Their initial plan was just to come home for a visit, but circumstances changed for them.

Although I was happy to have my sons home, I didn’t feel much like celebrating Christmas while living in a rented trailer house waiting for the insurance company to settle my claim so I could start the process of getting a new home.

After a few weeks of being a curmudgeon and thinking “bah humbug” about the holiday, I realized there was a lot to celebrate after all — especially after watching the movie, “A Christmas Carol.”

Watching that movie got me into the holiday spirit, and made me realize how blessed I was.

So what if my childhood home was gone, and my life would be different. I would be getting a new house soon. Both my sons were home, and no one was hurt in the fire.

There was a resale shop behind where I used to work that sold all kinds of items. A few days before Christmas, I got an older fake Christmas tree there. It had a central pole with little holes to stick the tree’s branching in, which was challenging as the branches came in stagger lengths and had to be put up in the right order.

The resale shop provided lots of lights and bulbs. With tons of decorations the tree actually looked pretty good.

That Christmas actually turned out to be the best one ever. I got to spend it with both my sons, which I initially thought that I wouldn’t get to, and spend it with my three best friends.

We ate. We drank, and sang carols. When it came to singing, I regaled them by singing “Adeste Fideles” (Come All Ye Faithful) in Latin. Although I was proud of myself for still remembering the lyrics in Latin, my audience wasn’t impressed.

I took three years of Latin in Sebewaing High School. Each year those who took Latin would stroll through the school’s halls singing carols in Latin.

Anyway, felix dies nativitatis and annus novus (Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.)

Mary Drier is a freelance reporter and columnist for the Huron Daily Tribune. She can be reached by emailing hdt_news@hearstnp.com.