Up On the House Top

Good day and welcome to day two of the Christmas decorations marathon. Yesterday was filled with light as I hung the outside decorations. Today the focus is on the inside and the roof although not in that order. As a child, my Grandma and Grandpa Summers had a lot of Christmas decorations. Grandpa was responsible for the outside while Grandma decorated the inside. At the top of their house stood a 3 foot Santa Claus and his sleigh. The sleigh was pulled by 3 reindeer (it was a small sleigh and a smaller house). The lead reindeer was Rudolph whose nose glowed red. I remember going to their house every Christmas to see their lights. As Grandpa got older, he needed help in putting up his decorations. I would gladly volunteer and go over every season to help him put them up. It soon became me doing the decorations while he oversaw the proceedings from the ground. When my Grandma passed away a few years ago, he decided not to put up the decorations any more. To my surprise, he brought them over to me as a gift. From that time, I have made an effort to continue the tradition of having Santa and his sleigh and reindeer adorn the top of my house. This year was no exception as I got the characters out of the box and plugged them in to verify all parts were in good working condition. It is amazing to me that these decorations are still in such good condition considering they are nearly 40 years old now. By the end of the day, Santa was standing majestically watching over the reindeer from the top of our garage. It is always a special time when Santa and Rudolph light up for the first time each holiday season. Each time, I take a moment to reflect on my grandparents and the love I have for them. Merry Christmas Grandma and Grandpa.