Christmas memories

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As I told you that we recently sold my parents home. This was the house I grew up in and loved dearly. My mother passed away in that house with Daddy and me at her side. It was always a very well loved home. But some of my fondest memories of living there are our Christmases in that house.

The house had a formal living room which my mother was very proud of. She had carpeted when I was about 9. Now days we wouldn’t think of covering up those beautiful hard wood floors with carpet but she loved it!



Of course the way I always played outside in the dirt it pretty much ended my going into the living room! Christmas was different – on Christmas she let me go in the magical living room, of course she let the dog in on that day too, so much for special treatment!

I loved how my parents did Christmas morning. When my sister and I awoke we made a bee line for our parent’s room. The two doors to the living room were firmly closed. As we clambered into their bed Daddy would grumpily tell us how he had been awakened in the middle of the night. You see every year Santa himself woke my father on Christmas Eve to ask him if the girls had been good and to see what we wanted for Christmas. As Daddy told it, Santa would come to my Dad’s side of the bed, shake him and whisper “Charlie, Charlie wake up.” Can you believe it?? Santa knew my Dad’s name!


Then came the really scary part as my Dad would tell Santa to go away and let him sleep. But Santa persisted trying to find out what we wanted. And my dad, in his sleepy state could never remember anything and would tell Santa that we wanted socks and underwear! Used to scare me to death!

Years late I would watch as he held Mollie and LJ on his lap and tell them of his late night visitor. Mollie about three and LJ seven stared at their granddaddy with huge eyes and opened mouths. Never had they been more impressed.

But back to our Christmas in the old house. As we finally got mom and dad to get out of bed it was daddy’s job then was to go into the living room alone to see if Santa had left anything. If Santa had left toys Daddy would turn the lights on, if he hadn’t then we would all go back to bed. The real reason for this was that Daddy had gotten an 8 mm movie camera when I was born and the attached lights were really 4 enormous flood lights! Daddy wanted to get them set up so he could take movies as we came in. Trust me when those lights came on the two little girls staring at the crack at he bottom of the door KNEW the lights were on and Santa had come!!


Christmas morning was so exciting – we entered the living room to a dazzling display created by two children of the great depression. Each year they made sure we had a Christmas the likes of which they could only have dreamed of in the 30’s. It was Mama and Daddy themselves that made the day so wonderful. I hope my children’s memories of Christmas are as wonderful as mine. And I hope all of you reading here are creating wonderful new memories this year!