Christmas Memories

Ah nostalgia. Sometimes it's itchy like that wool kilt or dress with the lace on the neck I'd have to wear to church. Other times it's warm and fuzzy like your favorite stuffed animal. Let's stick with warm fuzzy for Christmas sake.

Everyone has their own Christmas traditions and I'm going to share some of my family's as well as some memories (I can't find photos... not that I'm looking hard right now for them) Here we go-

My mom's birthday is December 1st and she usually starts decorating that day. She has accumulated so many Christmas decorations that we could have our own Christmas Loft.

When we lived in Vergennes, we had red candles in our windows. It looked really cool- most if not nearly everyone has white (we do now- too many windows to do), but the red really stood out and I liked it. I'm not sure why my dad chose red- I've seen blue and sometimes green. I'll have to ask him sometime. At one point when I was in junior high or high school, he put lights around the windows and the front of the house and the windowboxes. It was a lot of work and only lasted a couple of years. We're not the type to go all out on Christmas lights. This year I put lights in our apple tree which looked really nice, but now for some reason they won't come on. Dang lights...

My brother and I had a tradition. One of us would get to put the angel on the top of the tree (after all the ornaments were on- it was the last to go on top) while the other would get to put Baby Jesus in the manger or what my mom taught us to call the crèche.

We didn't open our presents until Christmas morning. We opened our stockings the "Santa" would put on the foot of our beds. My dad (I mean Santa) always put a tangerine and life savers in our stocking along with other goodies.

As a child, I remember putting cookies and milk and carrots out for Santa and his reindeer (especially Rudolph who I swore I saw every Christmas, but it was only the Panton Road stop light.)

I loved watching the Christmas shows on tv and still do. My favorite is Charlie Brown and my second favorite is Rudolph. Third comes the Grinch and that's it. I like watching the old Miracle on 34th Street with Natalie Wood and occasionally It's a Wonderful Life. I am also a big fan of The Man Who Came to Dinner. Look it up- it's great.

Last night while coming home from church my parents and I were talking about Christmas and I told them when I was a kid I thought that someone made car lights red (brake lights) and white (headlights) in Christmas colors like the candy cane. Ah, what a thought.

At church last night we read the birth story of Jesus from the book of Luke and sang carols. I remember going Christmas caroling and loved it. I don't see or hear of people doing it, but we mostly sang at Nursing homes which are places I don't tend to go to. I guess I should start so I can go caroling again!

My favorite Christmas songs are:
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
I Wonder as I Wander
Ave Maria
What Child is This? (Greensleeves)
Gabriel's Message sung by Sting
White Christmas (by Bing Crosby- no one does it like Bing!)
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Christmastime is Here
Blue Christmas (Elvis)

Some memorable Christmas gifts I've gotten over the years:
a play kitchen set
a Fisher Price doll house the I played with forever
Barbie and the Rockers with matching long haired Ken (I know ew, but it was pretty nice at the time and it all comes back into fashion)
Barbie's friend Miko that looked like me (she's my favorite)
Cabbage Patch doll that I'm sure my parents looked long and hard for and paid too much for as well. Thank you!
Toy train
Danforth Pewter Ornaments- I have a collection
a multicolored sapphire bracelet (it's my birthstone)
and many others

It's getting late and I'm tired. But before I go, I just wanted to say that however you celebrate and whatever your traditions are, don't forget why we celebrate!

Merry Christmas!