What’s the damage?

This was an expression my Mom used when we would go grocery shopping. There were times when she would get tired and have to sit down so she would give me money and I would pay. It makes me smile because I can hear her in my head. Nowadays I don’t really pay too much attention to what the total is. Because I don’t shop for myself I can’t shop by price as much as people who drive.
Yesterday I talked about holiday blues. As much as I miss my family at Christmas it’s a comfort to have reminders of those little idiosyncrasies that only they had. My Dad loved a fire in the wintertime but sometimes he would get a little carried away putting logs on the fire and would have to move his chair a few feet away…or else he would get a very warm bum. My Mom would write the cards but Dad picked through the cards to find the ones from his family. Mom was very particular in how you addressed a card. My friend has her PhD so I should address it by her formal title but she doesn’t actually use it. The other day I gave a Christmas bonus to my grocery person. It was something that I was taught to do.
Our Christmas tree had red and white balls. According to Mom they had to be spaced so far apart. My Dad would also make me move an ornament if he thought it was too big to go in front. It’s no wonder I’m so particular about my tree. When I purchased a new tree skirt last year I could hear Mom in my head…you spent how much??!!
Those memories are gifts to hold on to.