Title

Donner & Blitzen…

Why this title?

Maybe it’s the time of year, or just a random thought verified by the moment.

Maybe it’s because they are the last ones mentioned by that merry old elf.

I have always had a bunch of mixed feeling about Christmas.  Growing up it was a happy time shrouded by extreme family stress and feeling of emptiness.

My family was not well off, but we did not want for much.  My sister and I seemed to always get along, and my parents never seemed to get along during this time.  My parents loved us, and were good parents. I just think that because of the added stress of family coming to visit, or us going to visit family, there was an enormous amount of tension leading up to those days.  Whether it be the idea of spending hours on end trying to present a front of cooperation and compassion, or the fact that you never knew what to get them, or what story might arise.

But the time I loved the best was the time driving home, or after everyone had left.  These were the times where we could talk openly and freely about those who were there, and what we thought or saw in those moments that we had together.  That was the time when I felt the most grown up.  We had real conversations, that were laden with true feelings.  It was an opportunity to glean into the hearts of my parents.  They were not openly loving, but I never doubted their feelings.  I learned more about the history of my family, and how we got to where we were, than I would ever learn in daily conversations.

So, the title leads me to this…as it just now came to me…Donner & Blitzen are metaphors for me and my sister.  We were the last line of the reindeer, my family, being urged on to carry us into the future.