Favorite Christmas Memory
My Christmas memories are divided into several categories.
There are those involving my parents and siblings, and then there are those
that I've created with my own family. All warrant their own reflections and all
live on in photographs stashed in photo albums and picture frames.
To restrict this piece to just one would somehow limit the
scope of all those memories, so I'll try to comb through the tinsel and recount
just a few of the standouts.
There would of course be the year my parents gave all four
of us sleds for Christmas and there wasn't a flake of snow on the ground that
year in upstate New York.
It wasn't until four days later when the blizzard came through, crippling all
travel and thrilling the children.
An even earlier memory is one that I'm not so sure is a
memory or just firmly embedded in my brain because of the repeated telling over
the years. My grandparents were poor people and my grandmother had only one
fervent wish—to own a red and white Formica kitchen table, with matching
chairs.
I must have been eight or nine at the time and honestly
didn't see the hubbub, but my aunts and uncles, mom and dad, all got together,
pooled their resources and bought Gram her table and chairs. Someone in the
family got my grandparents out of the house and the rest of the family brought
the new set in, placing in the kitchen with a huge red bow in the center of it.
When Gram walked in, she huffed (her way) and sat down at
"her end,") which is where she was when this photo was taken. She
loved that set and cherished it until she died.
There are varied memories of my mom decorating the tree with
single strands of tinsel, her job each year. I can still see her doing it and
then standing back to admire how the tree sparkled. Lord, how she loved
Christmas and in her absence, a bit of the magic has disappeared.
Christmas stockings at the foot of our beds each Christmas
morning, the tangerine filling out the toe and then small games to keep us
occupied until the hour was civilized enough to wake Mom and Dad for the grand
unwrapping ceremony.
Each gift was opened individually, so everyone saw what
everyone else got. There wasn't a mass opening with the whole thing done in
five minutes. No, my parents made a production of it. That's one thing I
continued with my family, and often we have to take breaks to get through it,
but no one just dives in. My theory is—if I have to suffering through the
buying and wrapping, you will wait your turns. Everyone's used to it by now and
no one grumbles—too much.
When I had my family, I created "Ta-Da" gifts,
which is something we've done since my oldest was little. With all the gifts
finally opened, everyone starts talking and enjoying their bounty. However,
we've saved the best for last. Now, it could be just for one person or several
and only the givers are privy to that information.
Everyone is asked to close their eyes and the count begins.
"1 – 2 – 3 – Ta-Da!" When everyone opens their eyes, the recipient
finds the giver standing before them. Usually the grandchildren always get a
Ta-Da gift—they really don't understand the concept of unselfish giving. There
have been times when I've gotten the gift, from my husband of course, and then
there was the year we all got together and got a fancy easel for our artist
son-in-law.
Whatever the gift is, it's memorable and the best one of the
day.
I loved the year my son, who was seven or eight at the time,
told my husband and I that he'd found out there was no Santa Claus. He'd hedged
his bet though and waited until we'd bought the gifts that year, "just in
case."
He came to us one day and asked to have a serious talk.
"We can't tell Sissy though, cuz she's only three. We'll wait until she's
grown up, like me." He so loved being a part of the Christmas conspiracy. J
All this aside, for me, sentiment is very much a part of the
Christmas season. I think of those no longer with us and miss all they
contributed to my years of Christmas memories. They are missed more with each
passing year.
There is a standout for me, one memory I recall each year as
the leaves drop from the trees and other parts of the country gets snow (the
deep south isn't known for its snow accumulation).
Maxwell House Coffee used to have the most beautiful
commercial and it kind of sums up the spirit of Christmas for me.
A young man comes home for the holidays and finds his mom
sewing rag dolls late into the night. She explains that the church Christmas
party is the following day and she has many to finish before she can sleep.
He brews a pot of coffee and they sit and talk while mom
sews.
The next day, he accompanies her to the party, where
presents are given out to all the children less fortunate.
Then, a box wrapped in bright red paper is given to a
blonde-haired little girl so cute she'd melt anyone's heart. She was kind of
timid, but slowly undid the tape, peeled back the paper, and finally, lifted
the lid off the box. Her face lit up as she lifted a blonde-hair doll from the
tissue paper.
Camera pans to the mom, who had her hands up to her eyes. The
son leans over, kisses her cheek, and says, "Merry Christmas, Santa
Claus."
Still brings tears to my eyes and the full meaning of
Christmas to my heart.
For anyone who leaves a
comment telling me about their favorite Christmas memory, they'll be entered into
a drawing for an ebook of the winner's choice from my backlist (Romeo Club
excluded.) I'll also give away a swag pack to another commenter. Hop over to my
blog and make sure to include your email address in case you win www.britaaddams.com
After dinner, we always play a board game. I can't recall the game's name but it was similar to clue. At first, the game seemed boring and folks started to complain but we kept at it and the game finally picked up steam. At the end, we had a great time.
ReplyDeleteNow, everyone wants to play it every year! LOL
Thanks,
Tracey D
booklover0226 at gmail dot com
My favorite memory is of after dinner at my grandparents on Christmas Eve, the whole family (including their 11 children, in-laws, grandkids, some great-grandkids, a few extra family/friends) everyone would gather and get very quite while my grandfather read the story of the first Christmas aloud from his Bible.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a safe & happy holiday season!
June M.
manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com
A good memory for me is when my grandmother starting buying little puzzles that she gave out after dinner. We had so much fun with them.
ReplyDeletedebby236 at gmail dot com
I love those memories! I have great memories of my grandparents and I only hope I leave my grandchildren with the same kind of memories.
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays to everyone. Thanks for stopping by.
Much love,
Brita