Another Gem from the Christmas Memory Box

Christmas 1990 was unlike any other I had celebrated. It was different because I was engaged to be married to The Hubs, a miraculous development that occurred right around Thanksgiving that year. But it was also really special for another reason...

I was living in Brooklyn, New York, at the time, finishing out my third year with a dance company while also working part-time to make ends meet. Jim was then living in Macomb, Illinois, where he was finishing his master's degree. We didn't like being apart, but it was a necessary evil only made bearable by knowing that we'd be married in 1991. We hoped the time would move quickly.

Fortunately, my brilliant fiancé was really good at finding odd gigs as a lighting or set designer that could bring him to New York so we could spend time together, and this holiday was no different. So, he was able to come to Brooklyn to stay for a few weeks to work in between semesters at university and see me.

Each year when I lived away from home, I would travel home for Christmas. That year, I had already made plans to go home to Cleveland to see my family, so I knew I would be away from Jim for Christmas day. As much as I loved my family, this was a really depressing thought...our first Christmas and we wouldn't even be together. Jim would spend his holiday alone. I couldn't think of anything more depressing for him.

While I really enjoyed seeing all my family, I was equally anxious to get back to New York the day after Christmas to see Jim and finally celebrate with him. The travel day seemed interminable, as most days do when you are anticipating an event. After traveling on planes, trains, and subways from LaGuardia Airport to Brooklyn, I finally arrived in the early evening, tired yet excited. I am sure I climbed the two tall flights of stairs especially quickly and made it to my apartment door to greet Jim.

Walking down the long hall to my room, I noticed a soft glow, and when I opened my door, I surely gasped at the sight before me. Jim had created a Christmas tree out of a patchwork of Christmas wrapping paper and outlined it with strings of tiny white lights. It was probably 6 feet tall and was hung across the tall window that faced 7th Avenue below.

I can honestly say that few things have touched me as this gesture did, and if I weren't already convinced I needed to marry this man, this gesture would have sealed the deal! Neither of us had money to spare and we couldn't afford to buy a real Christmas tree. But Jim made sure that our first Christmas together was one I never would forget, using his theatrical talents to transform my shabby little room into a sweet and cozy Christmas scene. 

I'll always treasure Jim's simple gift, handmade with love, as one of the most precious I have received from him over our 35 years together.

Until next time...

© Nancy Gilbride Casey, 2025. All rights reserved.