The Night Before Christmas

Christmas is a particularly bittersweet time of year for so many who have lost a loved one. We're no exception, of course. Dad loved Christmas. He loved getting family together at every opportunity, and was often the glue for our family gatherings. On Christmas Eve, we had a particular ritual which included, among other things, Dad's dramatic retelling of Clement Moore's Twas the Night Before Christmas. Alecia and I would howl at everything he said. Watching these videos now, they are not only precious memories (and painful, embarrassing reminders of years gone by), they also strike me as still pretty funny.

Here's 1980. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl715uC4pvg]

And 1983. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRItpE_MR34]

And 1984. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3PUOuulmwU]