A tradition of time with loved ones

Bob’s Your Uncle-a tradition of time with loved ones

A few years ago, after many distant years, my uncle Bob and I sort of re-united. I’m not exactly sure how it happened, but all of a sudden, he was a hugely important part of my life. He’d call and we would chat about all sorts of things. Then we’d schedule an outing. My aunt, uncle, husband and I would head out for a day on the boat, or out to a nice restaurant for a lovely dinner. Many times, my uncle would share his culinary skills with us by preparing a gourmet dinner. At one point, my uncle shared with me his love for the Christmas holidays. “I’m sort of sappy about Christmas,” he confided. “Me, too!” I exclaimed!

And thus, another holiday tradition was born. Each year, around October, my uncle calls so that we can make our Christmas date plans. Our first Christmas double-date was an evening in Washington, D.C. We bought tickets to see the Nutcracker ballet at the Warner Theater. I was thrilled to see George Stephanopoulus, one of my favorite newscasters, as part of the cast that day. He made a great party guest in the first scene! After the show, we hurried in the cold to a restaurant not far from the theater. There we sat and talked and laughed and just enjoyed the pleasure of each other’s company.

We’ve been to Ford’s Theater to see “A Christmas Carol” a few times, once during the theater’s renovation and another after its completion. Whenever we see a theatrical production, my uncle will always ask my “professional” opinion of the performance. At the end of “A Christmas Carol,” there is always a tear in my eye when the company of actors shares that Scrooge kept Christmas in his heart and to Tiny Tim he became a second father. Something tells me that there’s a tear in my uncle’s eye as well. He’s sappy like that.

My uncle has taken the position of respected elder in my family. If I’m talking to my daughter about a particular concern, she’ll tell me to “ask Uncle Bob, he’ll know.” I turn to him now as a surrogate parent. I know I can count on him and depend on him. He shares stories with me of my childhood, things I don’t remember. He tells me about my grandfather and my great-uncles. There’s family history there. Our special times together have become increasingly important to me, and our holiday outings have become our tradition of showing how much we care for each other.