The One About the Christmas Eve Tradition

   I have been thinking about writing this post for awhile now, but it's very personal to me and I wasn't sure if I wanted to put it out there. 
   For as long as I can remember, we have gone to my Grandma Rita's house for Christmas Eve.  I don't think I have EVER missed Christmas Eve at Grandma Rita's house.  Even last year with the blizzard, we plowed through the snow drifts to make it.  It is tradition.  The tree overflows with presents.  Envelopes of cash and gift certificates decorate it like ornaments.  We have soup for supper, and eat in shifts around the kitchen table in the basement.  My aunts make the most delicious cookies, candies, and yes...homeade caramels.  After we eat, the kids dig into the presents and organize their loot into piles.  They beg their parents if they can open gifts now.  Grandma sits in Her chair, and wrapping paper starts to fly through the air.  It is total chaos.  This isn't necessarily the case now, but when I was in high school and all those younger ones were in elementary school....it was CHAOS!!!  After the gifts are opened, the kids play with their new goodies and the guys, Aunt Judy, and Grandma sit around the table and play cards.  Obscenities are heard occasionally, including some from Grandma Rita.  I love that at 84 years old, she can still hold her own in a card game with the guys. 
   I will admit that I have probably romanticized this tradition in my mind.  I am sure there were things that I didn't understand or see, because I was a child....the drama that comes with any large family.  It is no secret that the Funks are known for their quick tempers, a trait that I am well-aware I have inherited.  (Fortunately, I have also inherited my mother's patience so I have a little more control over my temper than others...like my brother Travis, for example.)  Regardless, Christmas Eve has always been this beautiful custom to me. 
    This year Christmas Eve will be at my parents' house.  Grandma is no longer hosting.  The end of an era...the beginning of a time that we all knew was coming, especially in recent years. 
     My Grandma has had a rough year.  In March, she fell at state basketball and hurt her shoulder.  Since that, she has had one health problem after another.  This fall, she was diagnosed with rectal cancer.  We were all worried about chemo/radiation.  Grandma went through it like a trooper.  Now she needs surgery to remove the cancer.  Grandma Rita will be 85 years old on February 26th.  She is the matriarch of the Funk family, and I am praying...we are all praying...that she can have this surgery and recover. 
     I don't think I am going to say anymore about the cancer.  I will just end with a picture of my Grandma holding Asher when he was born.  I love you, Grandma Rita!