Hello I'm Rich Brown and this is my personal website and blog. I'm just your simple, average, down to earth, professional, out gay man and aspiring circuit boy, living in Phoenix, Arizona with a few things to say while trying to find my place among all the scary, conservative, religious nuts in this sick and twisted world.
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Happy Holidays with A Little Story
@HOME. Wow only day left before Christmas! It's been an incredibly busy week for me since our party last weekend so I haven't had a chance to write or even sit at the computer for that matter. Hopefully next week will be a little more calm and I'll be able to get caught up on my blog reading and writing.
I wanted to take a second to send out a holiday message to all my fellow bloggers ... May you evil bitches get everything you want, and nothing you deserve ... hahah I crack myself the hell up.
Christmas eve for my family was always a special time for us. I grew up in a small town about an hour outside of Philadelphia. When I was a little boy we would have a late dinner and then like all good Catholics, get together with family and head to St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Slovak Church for midnight mass. Our church was always beautifully decorated and held special significance and pride in our community because it was built by the men of our town, including my grandfather and many of my great uncles, who had come over from Czechoslovakia to settle there. My parents were born and raised in that town and along with most others in the community, never really left, so we all knew each other and we all came from long lines of Polish, Czech, Slovak and Irish family names. There were no strangers sitting next to you in church, they were always either family, friends or nearby acquaintances. One of the best things about going to midnight mass was the carols. Our church choir was made of many of the older women in our community, so all of the carols and music was sang in Slovak. There is nothing more beautiful then hearing Silent Night in Slovak. The one thing I could always count on was the ritual of going to midnight mass on Christmas eve.
As I grew older that never changed, but a few other traditions were added. We would almost always open our presents in the late evening of Christmas Eve. We would get together, head to midnight mass, and upon return, my father and I would go over to my grandparents house who lived right next door to us, which in east coast rural terms means just up the street and across the field. My uncles would show up and all of the men in my fathers side of our family would gather with a drink and toast to Christmas. This tradition continued on with my family even after my grandfather passed away, as my father and uncles would still show up at my grandmothers house and celebrate while my grandmother would enjoy the company of her children.
Things have long since changed now. Most of my family is gone, and the town where I grew up is now more of a Philadelphia suburb and has long lost it's small town charm. Some of the old family names still exist, but many of us have moved on and away. It makes me sad that most of the 'old world' traditions of the holiday have disappeared and the charm of growing up in a small town where everyone knew your name is now more of a myth then a reality. I guess this is life, it evolves and changes right before your eyes. Nothing is ever quite the same as it used to be, and it's the way we choose to live our lives that counts for our memories in the end.
So tonight is Christmas eve and I'll be spending it with Justin, Mark, Andrea and the puppies at our house. Over the past few years Justin and I have enjoyed spending Christmas Eve and Christmas together with a fire going, and opening our presents at Midnight. We've made our own family and our own traditions. I'm looking forward to spending the evening with Mark and Andrea, as we all really have a great time when we're together. Mark and Andrea have become our family, and if there's one thing I've learned over the past few years your family is not only the one you were born into, but the one you've created for yourself.
Well that was my story, a little light into my past. One of the other things I do, for nearly the past 10 years, is send out my annual holiday letter to family and friends. Since I'd love to share with all of you as well, if you want some short reading, here's the 'internet edited' version. (I have to cut some things out for your stalker-like folks ... :-P)
Seriously though, I'd like to wish all my friends, family, acquaintances, fellow bloggers, and blog readers a very happy holiday and a healthy, fun-filled, prosperous, std-free, new year! Cheers!
That was a wonderful post to read Rich, I loved hearing about the traditions you grew up with as a boy. I never lived in a small town like that, growing up an airforce brat we were always moving from one base to another. But I have always longed for exactly what you just described.
I'll bet you miss that in some ways, but in other ways you're very happy with your new life too.
Merry Christmas to you and Justin, stay safe, be well, and spread the love!
|______________________________________________________________________ posted by Jude @ Saturday, December 24, 2005 2:31:00 PM
I echo the above sentiments, that it is lovely to read about your memories and your traditions. Many, many happy returns.
|______________________________________________________________________ posted by Ariel1980 @ Tuesday, December 27, 2005 1:03:00 PM
