The original Gma, a force to be reckoned with

You know what they say. Everything changes. Nothing stays the same. There’s a Christmas wreath on the front door of my mother’s house. [READER]( For over 50 years, my parents lived in a lovely old house in Evanston, not far from Main Street. I say my parents lived there, but, really, it was my mother’s house. She loved that house. A child of the Great Depression, she’d grown up very poor in a one-bedroom apartment in Philly—shared a bed with her mother, a widow. To have a big house was a blessing. My mom not only picked out the decorations and furniture, she also wrote the rules and regulations that governed behavior there—created the culture of the house, you might say. [[Illustration of Ben Joravsky]]( one of her rules—right up there with "You must eat everything on your plate before you get seconds"—was this: "No—" I repeat, "No Christmas ornamentations of any kind." Anywhere in or on that house. Ever! It’s not that my mom had anything against Christianity. Some of her best friends were Christians. Nor was she a militant free thinker who railed against Christmas displays in public places. It’s just that she was painfully aware of what it’s like to be an outsider—in this case, a Jewish woman in a largely non-Jewish world. As such, she felt compelled to assert her individuality with a powerful aversion to any Christmas ornamentation of any kind. In fact, one of her favorite riffs was to make fun of Jews who put up “Hanukkah bushes.” To her, it was like a form of capitulation. Here I am trying to explain it. But I don’t think you can really understand her position unless you know what it’s like to be one of the only one of “your kind” in a world dominated by people who are different. And even then, you might not understand. Anyway, both of my parents died in the last few years. Eventually, we cleaned out that old house and sold it. But whenever I’m in Evanston, I make a point to drive by—just to see what the new owners are up to. And so it was that on Saturday I saw something that blew my mind: a Christmas wreath on the front door of my mother’s house. Man, I haven’t had a jolt like that in years. Had to pull the car over and stare in disbelief. I’m not one of those guys who tries to speak to the dead. But something about that wreath on that door made me miss my mom so much I started talking to her. Along the lines of . . . "Ma, you’re not gonna believe this . . ." Needless to say, I got no response. So, I did the next best thing. I texted my daughters—her granddaughters—who’d spent many a day at grandma’s house and were well aware of her rules and regulations. They called her Gma. As in the original Gma. A force to be reckoned with. They texted right back to say that somewhere in the universe Gma was raging. From behind me, a car horn sounded. I was blocking traffic. So I put the car in gear and drove away. You know what they say. Everything changes. Nothing stays the same. There’s a Christmas wreath on the front door of my mother’s house. Clearly, Gma doesn’t live there anymore. [Ben Joravsky [signature]]( Chicago Reader's 50th anniversary giveaway Give a little, Get a lot Dozens of readers have already won, but there are still plenty of amazing prizes to go around—and it's not too late to enter. Today we’re giving away TWO pairs of tickets to the "Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movement" exhibition at the [Illinois Holocaust Museum]( All members of the Chicago Reader's Reader Revolution membership program are automatically entered to win for the entire giveaway. [Become a member]( [BEST OF CHICAGO 2021]( It’s our favorite time of year at the Reader, when our community of readers comes together to highlight and celebrate the very best our city has to offer. Mark your calendars—nominations start November 17. Stephen King’s Billy Summers—fabulous read! [Courtney Kueppers]( on cleaning the streets [Ben Joravsky]( on redistricting the Illinois congressional map [Rummana Hussain]( on Jenna Ryan and more [Rebecca Sive]( on women in politics [Monroe Anderson and Jitu Brown]( on race and politics [The Ben Joravsky Show]( [Listen to The Ben Joravsky Show]( EPISODE 9 IS OUT NOW! Check out "Cherry chapstick and queer representation (w/ Sonal Soni)" [here]( or wherever you get your podcasts. [Portrayal of Guilt’s Christfucker is just as gnarly as the title suggests]( by [Luca Cimarusti]( [Chicago indie-rock wonder Tasha nudges you to chase your dreams on Tell Me What You Miss the Most]( by [Leor Galil]( [Arcadia Grey and Guitar Fight From Fooly Cooly give fifth-wave emo a jolt]( by [Leor Galil]( [The chill of other suns]( The Last Pair of Earlies takes an intimate look at the Great Migration. by [Dan Jakes]( [Issue of Oct 28 - Nov 10, 2021 Vol. 51, No. 2]( [Download Issue]( (PDF) 1971 Chicagoans have relied on the Reader for trusted alternative coverage of our city. The Chicago Reader is now a 501c3 nonprofit organization which means our survival is in your hands. In order to continue to be your trusted alternative voice of Chicago, we need your help. If you can donate just $5 today, we can show the world that community funded, independent journalism is the future. 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