25 Days of Christmas - Day 9: Coffee Talk

Day Nine: Coffee Talk

There is something about the colder weather that makes us want to curl up on a couch with a good cup of coffee...even better if it is shared with someone you love.  All of my cups of coffee this time of year seem special, but the winner is the one I drink watching my family on Christmas morning.  You know the one I'm talking about.  It's likely one of the few cups of coffee all year that you can actually recall.  However, this isn't the cup of coffee that I'm talking about today.  The one I want to tell you about comes from a chipped mug, at my grandmother's house, next to her fireplace.    

Each year, we head to my Marmie's house for Christmas with MB's side of the family.  Over the years, our family has grown substantially, but her house has stayed the same size.  Anyone else have a Christmas with family like this?  I have to be honest, even though we may have to stand a little closer, side step around the food a little more, and teach kids to move to the floor for an adult to find a seat- the chaos and the coziness of Christmas at her house is REAL.

As my cousins and I have grown and started our own families, we have dispersed around the state.  Often this is the only time during the year that we are all together with our families.  So, I look forward to the squeals of our children playing together, the sounds of the men telling them to move out of the way of the Colts' game on television in the back room, and the abundant laughs I get to share with my fun and witty family.  

We all gather in her living room and dining room (typically at half-time), and our designated "Santa" passes out the gifts.  Even with our large family, we still take turns opening gifts- usually to the chants of our names.  "Ashley! Ashley! Ashley!"  It makes it both exciting and special, and somehow it never gets old.  My favorite part of the day though, comes after the gifts are opened...after the children have gone to play with their new prizes...after the men have returned to the second half of the game.  It happens when the women grab one of Marmie's old Christmas mugs and head to the coffee pot to fill 'er up.   We gather in her front room by the fireplace to chat (usually with a few kiddos in tow).  These moments, shared over a cup of coffee with women I adore mean the world to me.

My Marmie loves these moments and these cups of coffee as much as we do.  We'd actually admit she probably loves them more, because she has nearly all of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren all under one roof.  Our Marmie.  She is the sweetest.  She noticed each year that I looked for the same cup for our little coffee talk by the fire, and last year she gifted it to me.  I love to think about the conversations this mug has heard.  If that mug could talk!  Look close and you can see that the handle has had to be reattached a few times- but oh! I love it!  Not only was it a thoughtful gift from my grandmother, but it reminds me of those fireside chats with the women in my family, and somehow when I use it, my coffee seems to taste a little bit better.  

   

So, whether you have a "Marmie's House" for your coffee talk or not, we hope that you will find someone you love, your favorite mug, and a cozy place to sit.  Share a couple of laughs and make a few memories this holiday season.