Christmas in the Hollow

First and foremost, Merry Christmas! I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas! If you've followed my blog over the last couple of years you know that our tradition was always a Christmas breakfast rather than a Christmas dinner. That holds true today as I have breakfast just about done this morning. And, it's a white Christmas in the hollow! Snow is supposed to continue this morning and it is beautiful out there. The best part is the roads look fine.
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I always try to do something at Christmas to remember my parents. Sometimes it's something small and sometimes something big. This year I spent most of December doing little a little 'secret' giving in their memory. I know they would have liked that. Eating Christmas Eve dinner out this year was a special treat I had looked forward to for a couple of weeks. I had already decided that our waitress would receive an extra large tip as a Christmas thank you. You see, Mom was a waitress for years. In fact, that is how she and Daddy met. I know from watching her that the job is hard and often thankless. In hard times, tips are often cut. We chose a local steakhouse and I have to say the meal was wonderful. My steak was tender and finally cooked perfectly. I'm not picky as I'll eat it any place from rare to well-done - just as long as they don't walk it to the table. But, it was nice to have the cook actually know what 'medium' meant. The restaurant had a beautiful Christmas tree and several families were also having their Christmas Eve dinner there as well.
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What made the dinner extra special? Having never been there before, I was surprised when the waitress greeted us as if we were long lost friends that had just stopped in for Christmas. She was not overly cheerful, but warm and friendly. But, I teared up when I saw her name. It was the same as Mom's. A random choice of where to eat led us to her. It made giving the 'extra' tip all the more special and brought me a little closer to the memory of my parents.
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Wishing you a Merry and Blessed Christmas!