One of the things about the holiday season is the "feeling" of Christmas... I love the hustle and bustle of shopping, decorating the Christmas tree, spending time with family.... and hearing the glorious sounds of holiday music! Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite ALWAYS puts me in the holiday mood. My favorite is the ethereal and lilting notes of Dance of The Sugar Plum Fairy - but to watch it danced upon silken ballet slippers is even more riveting. On Thursday night, I took my grandmother to the Greensboro Ballet Company's performance of The Nutcracker.
In our red plush auditorium seats, we were like children at Christmas time awaiting the signal to open presents. We did not have long to wait as the strains of Tchaikovsky's masterpiece began as the curtain opened to the first scene of "A Holiday Party at the Silberhaus Home". Watching the smile light up my grandmother's face brought tears to my eyes because she was so happy. I reached for her hand and together our hands swayed to the rhythms of the music that we loved so much.
During intermission, she and I had our picture taken by the Nutcracker display. I rarely have pictures taken with her, so it was wonderful to have this souvenir photo of our evening together.
My grandmother is the core of who and why I am. She is my bestfriend, and at 88 y/o has begun to assert the developing symptoms of Alzheimer's. After the ballet, I drove her home and we sang off-key Christmas songs loudly and laughed the entire way back. It brought back childhood memories of us driving in her car at Christmas time laughing and singing.... and it made me FEEL the beauty of Christmas Past all over again. While she may not remember our evening at the ballet in the morning, I'll have it in my memories as a treasured keepsake.... Always.
