Christmas Memories

After more than a half century of Christmases, many of the individual memories have blurred. Time has a way of marching on leaving us to ponder where it has gone. I don't remember my first several Christmases, but mom wrote in my baby book that at "10 months, she didn't pay much attention to gifts, played with wrapping." I guess that is typical of toddlers.

Similar to ours

Christmas was always a beautiful time, a time of anticipation and wonder. It was Daddy's job to put up our, now vintage, silver Christmas tree and decorate it, and there was one special white ornament with colored flecks that I always wanted on the front where I could see it. 

Instead of lights on the tree, we had a light with a rotating plastic wheel with red, green, blue and gold sections that would shine on the tree, changing it colors. We had this for my first 12 years, and for a long time I didn't know anyone had anything different. We purchased our first fresh-cut tree  in 1972 for a cost of about $6, and I think it was a pine. Now most of the trees around here are Frasier Firs for about $30 and up (mostly up).

To this day my childhood stocking hangs on my mantle every year. As a kid, I could open the stocking gifts first thing Christmas morning, but everything else had to wait until after breakfast. Now the stockings are the last thing to open.

My most memorable Christmas was when I was 5 years old. That was the year that I had three Christmases, two of which were white. First, we packed up and drove to Maine where my mom was from and where her mother and two of her brothers still lived. The house was near the river and Daddy and I went sledding down the River Road, as we called it, coming to rest near the partially frozen river. Instead of over the river and through the woods, it was through the woods and down to the river. At least that is the way I remember it. 

Next we went to my other uncle's house in New Hampshire. There was more snow and sledding there too, and another Christmas celebration with more presents. When we returned home, I found still more presents that Santa had left while we were gone. I was a lucky girl that year.

One of my favorite adult memories was back in the mid 90s when I took hubby's pickup and my mom and I went Christmas tree shopping. We came back with two trees, and about $80 worth of new ornaments and decorations, and I have used those ever since (the ornaments, not the trees) 😉.

If you celebrate Christmas, what are some of your favorite memories or traditions? 





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