Christmas Eve With John: Hang an Ornament of Laughter and Storytelling

Hang An Ornament of Laughter and Storytelling

John Paul Derryberry

Many of us bask in the glow of our traditions this time of year. No matter what holiday we celebrate, or don't celebrate, it's a time when traditions are ever present in how we interact. Yet, I'm far removed from my family in Ohio. I haven't had a Christmas around them in years, and I do not know when, or if, it will ever occur again, first I missed because of my career and now it’s having kids of my own. I always wanted to create a little bubble for Christmas for my kids because my mom and dad did that for me growing up. Nothing beat knowing for one day it was just my family. So I'm not sad about this fact; I love my life in Iowa and have a joy about my life that I didn't think I would get when I was struggling. But that doesn't erase the fact that I miss Christmas morning with my family.

We didn't have an advent calendar growing up, didn't plan an elaborate meal, didn't go caroling every year, and certainly didn't keep the family arguing to a murmur because of the holidays. It might have actually gone up. But oh boy, did we laugh; we chucked wrapping paper at each other, made jokes, and told the same old stories repeatedly. Just about every Derryberry has the storytelling gene, whether it's my brother reciting the moon boots story, my sister retelling the story about the only time she ever got grounded, or my aunt and uncles, when they were around, expounding on their exploits. Uncle Ike had the best stories. May he rest in peace. Every tale exaggerated just enough to add more laughs, but not so much that it became unbelievable.

It was always laughing and rarely any tension. No one walked on eggshells in the Derryberry house, and it's our best tradition. Heck even the year my dad had seizure there was laughter. Anyone and everyone is fair game, and somehow it all felt like love. I do my best to make sure my girls have that, not just on Christmas morning, but most of our days. This is not to present my family as perfect; we have issues like everyone else. And if one Derryberry tells you a story, do yourself a favor and go find another Derryberry to fill in the gaps the first one left out. But that doesn't mean we should not all laugh more, have more fun, and throw wrapping paper at each other when we catch our dad not paying attention.

So the question for me became how to incorporate storytelling and laughter into the traditions that my wife and I have created, with the distance between my family back in Ohio and me. Cue my mom's goofiness and her desire to capture moments. For years, she has gotten the cutest ornaments from a lady she knows, that capture moments from her grandkids' lives. The second we had Amelia, I wanted those ornaments on my tree. It would make my house more Derryberryish and remind me to laugh and tell stories even when the focus was on gifts.

My mom gets one each year, and selecting the picture is a process. She later expanded to include wedding days, engagement pictures, and our house. And I expanded it to include big moments for Anne, like getting elected to the park board, and my Distinguished Alumni award picture. I also requested that one of my brothers, Anne, and I, hike to the top of Ben A'an in Scotland. I hope one day we have two trees in our house. One is for the ornaments we pick up as we travel, and one is one of these life moments my mom gets made for us. The tree will tell our story; hopefully, for my girls, it will get them to laugh and tell stories long after I'm gone. So yeah, the Derryberrys didn't have a traditional tradition. Still, I'll hang these ornaments on our history of laughing and telling stories as the best tradition. They trigger all the warm memories that remind me I've had a great life and somehow even been lucky enough to have better people to enjoy it with.