Silent Night, Holy Night

All is Calm, All is Bright

Stress grabs hold of us this time of year, and it holds on with both hands. The Christmas rush is on. I do not know why, but a feeling of urgency covers me like a huge blanket and it is hard to wiggle from its grip.

Since I was a small child, Christmas has remained my favorite time of year. I am easily mesmerized by all of the colored lights, especially those that twinkle. My heart gets all a flutter when I am handed a gift; To: Juanita makes me smile as I hold it in my hand. Such small things have such a large impact.

As Christmas Eve approaches so many wonderful memories return and the rush of emotion is heavenly. I used to sit near my Nana’s feet and hand her gifts as soon as I was able to read her name. Her name was Zula Mae Cooper and she had a life that was very controlled by my grandfather Cooper. I can’t remember him giving her anything for Christmas, if he did it was not very much. I know times were tough and both of them spent years of their lives in the grip of the great depression. However, I do not believe his lack of enthusiasm to get her a gift was due to the lack of money. He owned many rental homes in Mobile and always drove a nice car. They lived in a time when men were the masters of their home and the women had little opportunity to participate in decision making, especially when it came to finances. Women stayed home and kept the house nice and raised the children. Life was very hard on a woman in those days, yet Zula (Nana) found a way to squeeze out a little joy here and there. She was a bit peculiar but she had a kind heart and I loved it when she laughed.

I remember being in awe of the fact that most of her Christmas gifts read:

To:            Zula

From:        Zula

And even though I was only 5 years old when I began handing her gifts to her, it just did not sound right.

She would always open each gift and exclaim with great excitement, “Just what I wanted!” Each time I would giggle and feel her joy in that moment. This provided years of intrigue for me.

Later in the night I realized, she bought her own gifts, wrapped her own gifts, yet she would be surprised with the contents and I could not figure that out. 

I laid there shaking my head for many years until I was old enough to understand and then it felt sad. 

None of the “To: Zula, From Zula” gifts were anything expensive, just nice little bottles of lotion and such things ladies enjoy. As I revisit past Christmases, I always think of Nana and I still feel her tugging at my heart. 

I leave those thoughts and jump to today; suddenly I am full of hope. May your Christmas season be filled with great joy and fellowship!

May all be calm and all be bright! I love you Nana!

 Zula Mae Cooper (My Nana)