Sneak Peek

This year was Gallagher Thanksgiving.
My son, who is a lawyer, came up with the wonderful idea quite a few years ago.
Even years, we celebrate Gallagher Christmas with everyone here.
Odd years, we celebrate Gallagher Thanksgiving.

This year everyone was here.
My two sons, daughter-in-loves, and three of my grandchildren, were here for most of the week.
The others came on Thanksgiving day.
The seven grandchildren played together all day and had so much fun.

Toys were scattered all over the floor.
Books were read over and over.
Football was on TV, at points during the day.
The food, made by myself and others, covered the island in the kitchen.

Family time is a gift I never take for granted.
It is precious.
It provides, as Anne Shirley of Green Gables said, scope for the imagination.
Lots of stories, lots of memories, lots of scope.

Christmas movies were placed in a basket.
Of course, we can stream them, but to watch the classic DVD is a bit of nostalgia.
Raymond Briggs’, The Snowman, is so quiet and a favorite of the little ones.
I wanted to show these two granddaughters a movie my children loved.

It is a Jim Henson movie called, The Christmas Toy.
I remember when it was on television, commercials and all.
I remember when it came out on VHS tape, which we still have with no way to play it.
I remember when it came out on DVD, which I purchased and which we can still watch.

It is the classic story of toys coming to life when no one is in the room.
If the toys are found out of the nursery, the are frozen forever.
It is a delightful tale of a Tiger named, Rugby, who was the favorite Christmas toy.
What he doesn’t realize is that he was the favorite Christmas toy LAST year.

This year, there is a new, soon-to-be favorite toy, named Meteora.
She resembles a super hero.
Rugby decides he is going to put himself back in the box to be opened again.
Once opened, he knows he will be the favorite toy again this year as well.

There are mishaps and adventures told only the way Jim Henson could tell them.
My six-year-old granddaughter was so excited to see this “new” movie.
Her sister, three-and-a-half-years-old, was not so sure.
Would there be scary toys that she would not want to see?

I reminded her that Grandma would never let her see anything scary.
She believed me, but…
My husband came up with a great idea.
She could sit in his office, with a large pillow, some books. and a cozy blanket.

She did not have to watch the movie.
She could look at her books in Pop-Pop’s office for as long as she liked.
Of course, her sister, was watching the movie and she could definitely hear it in the next room.
Maybe that was my husband’s idea all along.

I was in the kitchen and saw movement out of the corner of my eye.
I turned and saw my little granddaughter standing at the wall.
She was in the living room, craning her neck to see just a little bit of the movie.
She saw her Pop-Pop and exclaimed, I’m taking a peek.

A sneak peek, her Pop-Pop said in reply.
She would go back into his office and come out again.
She would stand right at the wall and take her sneak peek.
At some point, she determined that it was safe and she came in and sat next to her sister.

I thought of the traditional song: