Friday, December 15, 2017

A Christmas Night to Remember

On a mild December evening with an enormous supermoon lighting our way, 
Ron and I took our little dog, Roxy, for a walk in our neighborhood.  
The houses on our street glittered and created a festive holiday feeling. 
As we enjoyed the Christmas lights, we shared our childhood Christmas memories.


Ron and I both remembered the family piling into the car 
to drive to the "ritzy" part of town to view the lights, 
oohing and ahhing as if they were fireworks. 
Compared to the intricate displays today, they probably weren't all that amazing 
but to us, they were magical.

Today we keep our lights pretty simple with a string of twinkly lights on our fence. 


I also remembered the arrival of our Christmas tree every Christmas Eve. 
It was a family tradition to wait until the night before Christmas to decorate our tree. 
Dad would drive down to the corner gas station and buy a tree. 
Then, pushing and pulling it through our front door, we'd set it in its metal holder, 
turning it this way and that until it looked its best or at least straight.


Ron said he remembered how the tree lot smelled. 
Growing up in Oklahoma where there weren't any pine trees, 
he thought the smell of fresh pine was different and wonderful.

He also mentioned those Christmas novelty songs they played on the radio. 
I remember them too especially that Chipmunk song (Alvin!) that they played over and over, 
no doubt driving our poor parents crazy. 


Do you remember those strings of different-colored lights 
when if one light went out, the whole string died?
And carefully placing each individual aluminum icicle on the tree? 
Time consuming but definitely worth it.


After the tree was decorated, Mom would sing Silent Night in her clear deep voice 
and my sister and I would go upstairs to bed while Mom and Dad 
brought our presents out from their hiding places to put under the tree. 
It was hard to go to sleep when we kept hearing noises that sounded like reindeer on our roof.

Here's a picture of me (left) and my sister with Santa in the 1950s
about to give him our wish lists.
I never did get that pony!


Christmas morning we waited impatiently for our grandparents to arrive so we could tear open 
the wrapping paper on our presents. I remember a slinky, play dough, and a battery-operated bear 
that drank a bottle of Pepsi. (I see those in antique stores now!) 
Santa always brought my sister and me matching PJs. 
Ron loved his model airplane kits, Lincoln Logs and little soldiers.


Seems Christmas then was more simple and less stressful than it is today. 
It was about family and tradition and cherished small town memories that we still hold dear.



I'd love to hear about your treasured childhood Christmas memories.
We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year!

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21 comments:

  1. What a lovely post, filled with memories, love, joy and beauty.

    Happy Christmas holidays to you and yours ~ FlowerLady

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    1. Thank you Lorraine! I wish you a wonderful Christmas. Hugs, Pat

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  2. I loved the post Pat. It brought back so many memories. How fortunate we were that we had that special time as a family. It does seem that Christmas was so much simpler and meaningful back then. Merry Christmas Sis and Ron and little Roxie. What will she get for a treat on Christmas morning?

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    1. Thanks Jan! We were the lucky ones! Christmas is all about family; I miss you all. Hugs, Pat

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  3. Thanks for the memories. I still enjoy looking at lights! One year we found a house with the "leg lamp". I couldn't wait to go back and take the kids to see it!

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    1. Thank you Grammy and Merry Christmas. You have me stumped; what is a leg lamp? Hugs, Pat

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  4. Hi Pat! You really got me reminiscing. Christmas was so much simpler. But I also wonder if it was more special for kids too. I keep a simple tree these days. Often with only white lights and nothing else. But when I was driving through the neighborhood I saw a pretty tree in a window with flashing colored lights. It absolutely transported me to childhood Christmases and how thrilling they were.

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    1. Thanks Jacqueline! I think you're right. Everything seemed so much more special when you're a kid. Wishing you a Merry Christmas. It must be beautiful in NM. Hugs, Pat

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  5. I think we all try to recapture that feeling of a simpler time, but I am also sure that our parents felt the stress like we do today to make things wonderful, and pay the bills. We didn't have those worries as children, so it seems like those days were less stressful.

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    1. Hi Carole! Yes, our parents probably had the same stresses we have today. I'm grateful for those wonderful times. Hugs, Pat

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  6. Replies
    1. Thanks Monika and also to you and your furry friend. Hugs, Pat

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  7. I never did get a pony either! :) Wonderful Christmas memories. Time seems much more harried now. Sad.

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  8. I've often wondered if my parents freaked out trying to get ready for Christmas. Thanks for sharing your wonderful memories at Snickerdoodle.

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  9. Thanx for sharing your memories with us. Christmas was a lot simpler back then. We'd load into the old station wagon and look at Christmas lights and sing carols; I still enjoy that! Still making myself frantic baking, cooking, wrapping. It will all get done! Merry Christmas!

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  10. Precious memories! Simple and sweet! Positively perfect in every way!
    Merry Christmas!

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  11. Pat, I loved this little trip down memory lane! So much of it was similar to me. Mom and dad would always take us kids to Salt Lake to see the lights. We would ooh and ahh as they drove through the avenues. We did decorate our tree on the 15th. Mom didn't use the old fashioned icicles, but instead had plastic ones that glowed in the dark. Us girls would hold one up to the light and then take it into a closet to see it glow. :) Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  12. What sweet memories! I love the photo of you and your sister! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm! Pinning!

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  13. You're speaking my language, Pat! I adore your white decor, especially that candelabra.

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  14. You're speaking my language, Pat! I adore your white decor, especially that candelabra.

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    ReplyDelete