This is about my special relationship with a pair of Converse high tops, written quite a few years after they were purchased. As best my memory serves, these shoes are at least 20 years old now. And since I only put them on once a year, they still look like new.
Yes. I still have them. In fact, I’m most likely going to pull them out of the closet and wear them on Christmas day. Hope you enjoy the story.

They weren’t something that I would normally wear, but they spoke to me that day.

Thrown on the CLEARANCE rack – discarded in the dimly-lit corner with the other unwanted pairs, hoping that someone would bring them home for Christmas.

They wanted to be a part of the festivities – sitting snugly in between the presents in the back seat of the car on the journey to grandmother’s house, mastering the clever balancing act of stepping over mounds of crumpled wrapping paper and the sleeping family dogs. Running in the front yard alongside the cousins as they tested out new bicycles or golf clubs.

They would guarantee comfort, stability, and warmth.

It had been a while since I had experienced that kind of Christmas – no more trips to grandmother’s, and no more stacks of presents that took hours to distribute and open. Cousins now spending the day with their own children. Some cousins no longer here at all… and missed dearly.

So I pulled them off the shelf, laced them up, and walked around a bit. They felt comfortable. Familiar. Like old friends. They felt like Christmas used to be.

Together, we will go home and remember.