The Pajama Box
Ever since my oldest son was
born, my mother-in-law (aka Grandma) has sewn pajamas for Christmas that
arrived in a big cardboard box. As sons two and three arrived, the pajamas
multiplied. The styles remained similar over the past eighteen years, baseball tops
and long pants the favorite, but the patterns evolved from bunnies and monkeys
to plaids and video game prints. Every Christmas, The Box arrived covered in
layers of packaging tape and stamps. Each child had their own shopping bag full
of pajamas along with a chocolate bar and a hand-written note from Grandma.
This year there won't be a box.
Sadly, Grandma passed away of cancer in October.
How much my two younger kids would miss The Box didn't
even occur to me until I commented to my twelve year old that we would have to
toss out what is left of the monkey pajamas he loves. The tears that followed
would make Niagara Falls envious and triggered sympathy from my fifteen year
old while his eyes welled up as well.
My heart broken, I sat on my youngest son's bed and
asked what would help to make things easier this year. We decided since they
can't have Grandma's pajamas, maybe we could start our own tradition. With
everyone's help, we could make a Christmas Eve box with pajamas, a movie, and
snacks to celebrate the memories of The Box.
At first, my plan was to wrap everything in bright
paper and put it in a cheery bag beneath the tree. While writing this, I've
reconsidered. Maybe what I need to do is place each item in a plastic shopping
bag labeled with each person's name, then put it all in a cardboard box covered
in half a roll of packing tape.
Diane
has been a writer since she was able to hold a pencil and tell a story. An avid
hiker, Reiki Master and martial artist, she loves to make a mess in the kitchen
and putters in the garden at will. Joining the Headwaters Writers' Group in
2007 was the catalyst for unearthing several old writing projects. Her first
murder mystery, Murder on Manitou, was published after winning a writing contest in
2010. She lives in Southern Ontario with her husband, three kids and a cat who
thinks he's a dog. To learn more about Diane, visit
her sites.
My
website: http://penspaintsandpaper.com
My blog: http://dbator.blogspot.ca
The Bookstore Lady
Danny Walker is tracking
Paulina Chourney who fell deep into the dark side of life and is lucky to get
out before her boyfriend Maddox kills her. She escapes Maddox and arrives in a
small town, which she sees as a blessing in disguise since the men she worked
for would never think to look for her in a lazy, backwater place like Packham.
She changes her name to Katie Mullins, makes a deal on a little bookstore and
joins a local writing group then successfully fades into anonymity. Until Danny
Walker shows up to visit family and figures out who she is.
When Paulina catches her
80-year-old landlady Hilda Clayton sneaking out in the middle of the night, the
bad guys catch up to her and Danny disappears. Katie has to choose between
spending her life on the run or standing up to face her past. Hopefully before
the quirky townsfolk turn her death into a spectacle.
The
Bookstore Lady Available at: Amazon:
2 comments:
Diane, this is a touching tribute to Grandma and those precious pajamas. You know there were the pj's, the chocolate bar, and a whole lot of love in that grocery bag. Your family is privleged to have those precious memories to recall every Christmas. What a good idea to figure out a way to ease the pain of her loss this year.
How wonderful that your sons appreciate the pajamas that their Gramma made for them. :)
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