Vacation day number two and nothing out of the ordinary to report on. I thought I could blog to you about what happens in each day I am on this glorious and much needed vacation but then I decided that would be just like those annoying family updates in letter form people send out at Christmas but not quite as annoying as getting a picture of someone's family dog with Santa. So instead I decided that I would think back on some of my Christmas memories that flash through my mind each Christmas and bring smiles to my face.
I remember when we were very young and we spent Christmas day at the house of my maternal grandparents-Grandma Jean and Grandpa Jim or as we liked to call him Bum Bum-although I don't know where that nickname came from. They lived in Fontana and I still can remember the layout of the house even though I have not been there for years as it is no longer in our family. There was a large den in the back that was like a huge library with every kind of book. There were about two or three stairs leading down into the room that all of us kids used to love to jump on. We usually opened our presents in there and then we would all just it there and talk and laugh. Things were so simple then. Grandma also did this thing at the dinnertable called "Snowball" At each place setting there would be a little wooden ornament with our names. Then atop the table there would be little gifts attached to each ornament carefully picked out by Grandma. Then she would cover everything under white stuff that was like pillow stuffing that resembled snow. At the exact moment she instructed we would all tug on our ornament to reveal our present. How wonderful it was to see what was in tore for us under that snow.
We also spent a lot of our christmases at Aunt Barbara's house in Cherry Valley. I was always excited to go there anyways. On the road to get there there were these two hills that were the best to ride on and I always knew when we were getting close by those little hills. She always cooked the best food and all of us cousins had so much fun playing in the back yard with all her farm animals and sitting out on the porch enjoying the weather. I am sure my kids would never understand or even appreciate time like these...imagine, we didn't even need a cell phone and wouldn't have been able to fathom an idea of what a cell phone even was.
As I got older I used to tell my mom that I hated how the tree didn't match so the first time I was old enough to have a job, I went out and bought matching ornaments. I wanted an opalesque looking tree. It was beautiful. There were pearly teal and pink bulbs, opal pearls strung on the tree and covered with angel hair. I loved waking up on Christmas morning and begging my parents to wake up so we could open presents. They alway stumbled out of bed to please us and now being older I totally understand the stumbling. Here it is on a day I can finally sleep in and these darn kids are waking me up to open presents...ugh.
Another thing I remember is another tree I had flocked. It was my last christmas I would live at home and I decorated it with big Gold and Purple bulbs. It looked so pretty against the white flocking. It was also this year that I helped a friend who was back in town and all alone for the holidays. We got a tree, decorated it and sat in awe of all the decorations we made and bought for their little apartment. Little did they know that I can make a mean decoration out of foam balls and toothpicks.
Then there was Disneyland at Christmatime. One of my first dates with the husband. If you have never been to Disneyland at this time you should. It is a magical place and being there on a date was even better. Sharing tasty baked treats from the bakery on Main Street in the shape of Mickey as Santa. Add to it true cold winter weather and rain and trying to stay close to stay warm.
Even more memorable Chritmas memories were added to my memory after my two babies got here. When they were little they used to love to decorate the tree and sit in front of it drinking my hot chocolate they love for me to make. It seems that that these days I can't even get the kids to help me hang even one ornament. I remember us driving in the car listening to christmas music and singing along...now they hate my need to hear nothing but christmas songs from Thanksgiving on to Christmas day.
Thank God we have memories to keep us going in rushed times such as Christmas.It seems like times of just getting a doll for chritmas are long gone or being happy about anything you got because you knew your family was going through tough times. It seems like back in the day we appreciated things more, but not now.
We have become people who christmas sneaks up on and we are left to complain about how there is not enough time. We hear our kids complaining about the things they got and figuring out how to get the things they didn't. We see the long line for Santa and are happy our kids are too old for pictures with santa. What happened to us?
It seems as if it was yeterday that I was picking out a preent for my parents from Pic-N-Save (now Big Lots) with the money they gave me for christmas shopping, usually about ten dollars and boy that ten dollars was enough for presents for the whole family, now ten dollars isn't enough for hardly one present. Now, I pick out an ornament to leave on my Dad' grave and I send Mom her presents to Texas...wish they were both here with me instead.
Yes I look forward to making new christmas memories each year, but I can't help to think of all my christmas pasts that fill my mind and soul with happiness.
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