Was just thinking about Christmas when I was growing up in Arizona. I remember ....
Big colored glass lightbulbs along the front roofline of the house that got really hot to touch.
A small green plastic Christmas tree w/ red berries on it sitting on the counter between the kitchen & the den & a Bible open to the Christmas story laying on top of a blanket of artificial sparkly snow beneath it. How I wish I still had that and the kinda odd blue-ish & gold nativity scene that I thought was rather unattractive. No set up required. The figures were permanently in place in the stable.
Our Christmas tree....I was mesmerized by it...thought it was so beautiful! - until I started comparing it to others & realized how pretty it really wasn't :) Artificial...olive green (seriously) & decorated w/ a gold ribbon of tinsel & colored lights...rather gaudy if you ask me - but what I would give to go back in time and see it again!
Spray on snow decorations in the window.
My mom showing me how to make candycane cookies - the kind where you tint half the dough red & twist two strands together to make the candy cane effect. I loved doing that!
I vaguely remember going to the mall to see Santa fly in on a helicopter!
We opened our gifts on Christmas Eve & our stockings on Christmas morning. Some of my most memorable gifts....
A teddy bear - I still have him today!
A shiny deep teal new two wheel bike my big brother gave me because he felt bad about running over my tricycle! I can probably count the times on my fingers that I've ever been so excited in all my life :)
A Barbie airplane. I imagined how fun it would be to be a stewardess (that's what they were called back then) & travel the world. The Barbie airplane was like an odd shaped suitcase of sorts and opened up wide to form basically half a plane. I had more fun w/ that. I loooved Barbies.
Going to the midnight (11:00) service at church that ended with everyone gathered outside holding candles & singing.
Chrismas dinner was often at our house. My mom's Aunt Helen & Uncle Mart, an odd couple, would usually drive from Tucson to join us - & "Aunt" Jennie - a family friend who never married & was more like part of our family would drive from Tucson as well. She'd stay overnight on Christmas eve & spend Christmas day with us. She'd usually bring a green or red Jello something for Christmas dinner. The day after Christmas she and my mom would go out shopping the after Christmas sales for Christmas cards & wrapping for the next year.
aaahhhh memories. I wonder what my children will remember most.
3 comments:
I can almost see the settings you’ve described! Our Christmas memories are probably the best present we’ve ever had. It’s wonderful to be able to look back at the love our parents, family, and friends gave to make those times special. (Going to midnight mass with my parents was always magical, with candles as lighting and all the special hymns.)
Does your family album have yearly photos of “the tree” with all the decorations and presents? I can’t guess the years, but I love to try to remember what was in the packages
You know, Farmgal, I should go back into my photo albums & find Christmas pic to complete this post...they say a picture paints a thousand words :)
That annual Christmas Tree pic laden w/ packages is a great idea to share w/ my girls...to make sure they take one each year when they have children of their own :) Those pics could compile an album all their own & become a tresured heirloom with time.
Indeed. I've been working on completing a "family history" album given to me by my son last Christmas. So many memories (with pictures too) and Chrismas when my boys were young are the very best.
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