Hard Candy Christmas

Christmas eve I get up in a panick because I remembered that I did not set the phones on the Holiday Greeting. In my mind this was a big deal, because I work for a fire district and it is kind of important if people are trying to records n'stuff if we are not open.
Okay, so maybe not SO important, but in my mind I was totally worked up.
I look at my kids and Lance and tell them I have to go...I throw on some sweats, slippers and grab some coffee and head out the door.

I get in the car, still beside my self, half in thought then as a habit I turn on the raido and it begins playing Dolly Parton's 'Hard Candy Christmas'.

I stop mid-thought and I am taken back twenty years or so. I have a huge urge to phone my sister - as a rule whenever we hear this song we call each other. I realize it is 7 am and she prob won't be pleased, but at that moment I want to bottle the song up, put a ribbon on it and send it across the way to her home.
Growing up we would stay at my aunts house and she would play this song over and over again. Back then you could tell there was sadness in her voice and this song somehow resignated with her life. But being 10 or so, in my little world it created memories for me and my sister - my aunt would place the record on the record player and walk around the house singing this song, she knew every word and had the emotion down pat. I still remembering thinking how beautiful she was and how much I luv'd to hear her sing that song. I am not sure what it signified for her, but for me and my sister it carries happier times in our childhood. Being at my aunts house with our cousin, having a sleep over and listening to hard candy christmas.

To this date it is still one of our favorite songs...........words like 'I'm barely gettn' thru tomorrow but still I won't let sorrow bring me way down. Oh, I 'll be fine 'n' dandy, lord its like a Hard Candy Christmas.' Me and my sister sing it at the top of our lungs. We search for it on the radio. Once we were passing each other in seperate vehicles, realized it was on the radio - I turned around ; we both pulled over onthe shoulder - I got in her car and we sang.
Basically we drop just about everything, and try to find each other the moment we hear it......strange I know.

As we find ourselves struggling thru 2009 and into 2010 it seem pretty appropriate.
This song makes us smile, helps connect us in so many ways - sort of like Janice Joplin's 'Bobby McGee'. Anywhere, anytime we hear those songs we are immed taken back to each other and find the urge the reach out and phone one another.

Christmas was good and hard this year in so many ways. So many things are changing, yet so many things stayed the same. All 3 of us were home for the holidays with our kids. Our spouses, well that is a different story. One prob not to be shared just yet, but let's just say I am glad the 3 of us got together at my mom's again. I am glad that my mother and father were around one more year, and semi social. I am glad that everyone had on their 'happy face' and those that could not play nice, just decided not to swing by.

Ohh and by the way after my little memory flash back while driving, I made it to work - switched the phones (no problem). Then as I was getting ready to leave I set the darn alarm off. I had the PD and Fire show up, while I was in my sweats and slippers - yeah, good stuff!!
So to my aunt who prob doesn't realize the wonderful memories she has created for us, I say thank you. Deep down I hope she still has her record player and her 45 of Hard Candy Christmas......

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