"For Auld Lang Syne"

On New Year's Eve we used to gather in the living room - with the coffee table spread with the special treats that were relegated to this one night a year: chips and shrimp dip, Christmas cookies - Lebkuchen, Springerle, bourbon balls, fudge, fruit/whiskey cake (that Mommy had managed to keep hidden long enough to make it this far in the holiday season), and cheese (a 5 pound block, sent to us annually by Aunt Rae - a very practical gift for a family with a horde of hungry kids) and crackers. It was also our tradition to have ginger ale floats at around 10 o'clock.

We played ROOK (a card game) and watched (on TV) the year rung in by Guy Lombardo and his band playing "Auld Lang Syne", or in later years, Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve in Time Square - counting down as the crystal ball dropped, and wishing all a "Happy New Year!"

Immediately after midnight, the boys set off a string of Black Cat firecrackers in the middle of Laguna, thus signaling the end of our celebration and belated bedtime for all of us.

The idea of a new year always seemed so full of promise... so full of possibility. Now it carries with it a nostalgia, a certain sadness for loved ones we've lost, and marks the passage of time.

"For Auld Lang Syne, my dear
For Auld Lang Syne,
We'll take a cup of kindness, yet
For Auld Lang Syne."

May this New Year be a Happy and Blessed one for everyone.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree...

When we were growing up, every year at Christmas time, the boys (Herman and Fred) would go out to find "the perfect Christmas tree". As our options of evergreens were limited, it was usually a pine, and as with all natural trees, it was difficult to find just the right shape and size. They had even resorted to climbing to the top of a taller pine and cutting off the top (just like in Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree - one of Carl's favorite books) and bringing it home.

Marty was a self-proclaimed Christmas tree expert and it was rare for a tree to meet with her immediate approval: "It's got a big hole in the middle... ", "It's too scrawny", or "This is the worst tree, ever!"

The boys had gotten wise to her disapproval and had developed their own plan of action: they brought TWO trees. One, the better though disappointing front-runner, and the second, used as a "filler". They would find the appropriate length branch from the second tree to fill-in the empty space(s) on the first. They drilled a hole in the trunk, fitted the branch, and wired it into place. At this point it may be deemed "better", but final judgement and approval was deferred until the tree was in it's proper place and dressed in all of it's finery.

We used spray-can-snow to flock the tree, then while it rested, got down the big Mayflower Movers box from the attic. What fun to pull all of the old decorations out, and, after lights were put on, hang the ornaments. (We used blue lights for many years, but they were relegated to surrounding the front window to frame the tree when the newer, smaller and more colorful modern lights came out.) Of course, the blue foil star with the angel figure centered in it on a cloud of fiberglass had to be placed at the top. Once the ornaments were in place, the long strands of tinsel were placed, or flung - though this method was largely looked down upon and the flung icicles often had to be "fixed" to hang perfectly. * The icicles were made with lead, but we were blissfully oblivious to the dangers of such.

We stepped back to survey the tree and to await the final proclamation.

We held our breath, until it was finally declared by Marty as,
"... the prettiest Christmas tree we've ever had!"

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Every year we pull out our pre-lit, perfectly formed artificial (due to allergies) tree. We put it together, spread the branches and arrange them into a "natural tree" shape and hold our collective breath as we plug it in to see if the lights still work. Our current tree has a lovely twinkle effect, only an occasional light will blink like a star that is peeking through the branches.

Our ornaments are a hodge-podge of old family (Brandl) heirlooms, fragile crystal and glass balls, collected gift ornaments, and the ornaments that the kids made over the years in school. No color coordinated, themed, be-ribboned or sophisticated tree for us.

Our tree is transformed into a memory-evoking journey of our marriage, our kids' childhoods, Christmas's past, and mementos of places we/they've been.

Special ornaments are hung by certain people, others have special placement, but each is unique in its own way. The kids laugh uproariously at the "artistic license" they took as kindergartners and grade-schoolers with many of the hand-made ornaments, with the most "special" of these relegated to the back of the tree "so you can see them when you are going upstairs".

It is a magical, beautiful tree - in fact, it is "the prettiest Christmas tree we've ever had!"

~*~The tree (a gift from Janet and Paul) in the apartment - we still call it "Grammy's apartment" - is up and lit at night. Mommy always said she would think of Janet when she looked at it... now I think of Janet AND Mommy, and their joyous Christmas celebration in heaven.~*~

Red Lipstick

In loving tribute to our beloved Mommy/Grammy/Sister who never left the house without her lipstick...



In getting ready to go to the funeral, I spotted Momma's lipstick and had an idea, an inspiration...

I selected three of her lipsticks, and brought them along.

After the funeral, we girls all selected the same color "Cherries in Snow" and put it on. Grace had to leave early, so I took a photo of her by herself, then we all (even Aunt Jessie) posed red-lipped together in Linda's bathroom mirror.






It seemed an appropriate way to honor Momma ~ with loving memories and laughter.



Even more poignant, was something Linda and I witnessed ~ as we stood at her bedside, days before Mommy left us ~ she took her "lipstick" in hand and put it on... one last time... she was ready to go.

We love you, forever.

Christmas 2011 Letters

Dear family and friends of Margaret Pretzer Griese,

On November 23, 2011 my dear mother, Margaret "Margie", left us to go to her heavenly home.

She had suffered from dementia (Alzheimer's) for many years, struggling to hold on to what she once knew with ease.

She was in the care of my family for the last four and a half years, and I can assure you that she never lost her gracious attitude, nor her sense of humor. She never failed to say "thank you" for even the smallest thing I, or anyone else, did for her. Even in the last weeks of her life, she still used humor to put others at ease.

Her faith, that was always an example to all of her family, was still strong. She saw angels and dearly missed family members gathered around her bed a few days before she left us, and was so happy to be going with them, soon. She received her final Holy Communion while she could still swallow and speak.

We will miss her, dearly, but rejoice in her heavenly homecoming.

Merry Christmas and a Joyous and Blessed New Year,

Ann Elise Griese Brandl

Dear family and friends,

I hope that this finds you all well.

This has been a year filled with love, faith, sorrow and joy.

Meg graduated from University of Alabama in August (May graduation was delayed due to the tornado that devastated parts of Tuscaloosa), then headed off for adventure and graduate school at Notre Dame.

Matt and Mike are both in high school - and all of the kids are taller than me, now. They are active in the band and Robotics, and Matt is also in the Chess club and on the Quiz Bowl team, as well as being First Consul in Latin club. They will be marching in the Chick-fil-A Bowl game and parade for New Year's.

John has been terribly busy with work, but still manages to keep the yard looking beautiful, the cars in running order and basically doing everything to take care of us. He put in a lot of hours with the Band Boosters, working all of the home games to give his support to the band, too. We celebrated 30 years of wedded bliss, this year. I am continually blessed to be married to the love of my life.

I have been almost totally occupied with caring for Mother, whose Alzheimer's became much worse this year. She passed away the day before Thanksgiving. We are grateful for her release from pain and the misery that losing her memory brought her, but she is so dearly missed. As so much of my time and attention was focused on her and her care, I am somewhat at a loss. I plan to return to work in the laboratory (if any Med Tech jobs are available) or back in the parish school system in the near future.
Her funeral served as a time to remember her, but also to celebrate her life and to celebrate our remaining family. Most of my siblings and nieces and nephews, and even an Aunt and Uncle in their 80s made the trip to Shreveport, and despite our loss, we had a wonderful time of connecting and sharing our love for one another.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Joyous and Blessed New Year!

Love,

John, Annie, Meg, Matt and Mike