Yesterday as Christmas Day progressed, I opened the door to check the doorbell because the power had blinked and sometimes that makes the doorbell stop working.
I was overcome with a memory of opening the door to the my grandmother's house on Christmas Day. The thing that struck me was how it always happened - my mother simply opened the door and walked in, and there was Grandma.
The door was always unlocked. We always simply turned the knob and walked inside.
My door is always locked.
This made me sad, and I unlocked my door because for one thing I knew my nephews were on their way over, and for another, what has happened to me that I have to have the door locked all the time?
It is, of course, a sign of our trying and frequently tragic times, plus the fact that my grandmother was seldom alone. She may have been the only adult in the house, but she wasn't alone - there were always kids around. I suppose on Christmas she would have been expecting us, so of course the door would be unlocked, but I don't remember ever having to stop and knock on my grandmother's door to enter. I may have done so out of courtesy as I grew older, but I also know I could have simply walked in.
I'm not sure what this memory means, though I can see where the day and my checking the doorbell, the sound of the door opening, the cold air, etc., would have reminded me of such a specific time and moment.
May we all have fewer locked doors in 2018. I think that would be a good world to go back to, one where knocking is an option, and you know you're always welcome, wherever it is you go.
we all left our doors open growing up too...at my grandparents house, everyone came right in the back door, no knocking, just walked in...family and friends...now if someone came to the front door and rang the bell we knew we didn't know them haha
ReplyDeleteThose statues are such a Lovely Gift! And thank you for sharing your sweet memories of Christmas, past.
ReplyDeleteWe never locked our doors here, clear into the late 60s. Then someone came into our house and stole our wedding Certificate and other documents. I know who did it, but we started locking the doors after that.