This month my gift to you has been blog posts visit from Christmases past and this is my final edition. This post original published in December 2010. You don’t need to worry about leaving a comment. I hope to bring a little happiness your way, perhaps thinking about your memories of Christmases past.
Nearly every Christmas childhood memories float through my mind. It’s funny, I only remember pieces of the past and sense the way I felt like it was yesterday. I recall my parents’ modest house in a holler in southern West Virginia. I knew that place as “Groundhog Holler”. The only heat we had was a potbelly wood stove in the kitchen. My folks kept the living room closed off during the winter for the most part.
When I think back, I see that tinsel Christmas tree sitting in the corner of a very cold living room with that wild multi-color light wheel gizmo resting on the floor splashing red, blue, yellow, and green across the silver branches fascinated me. I wanted to spend more time in front of it, but it was too cold for comfort. For the longest time, I believed the tree had multi-colored mini-lights strung on it. However, thinking back, I believe I remember that crazy 60s thingy leaving that illusion in my memories. It might have been that same Christmas, my mother snapped a picture of me sitting on the floor in front the tree holding my daddy’s Christmas present on my lap. I don’t know how I even remember that and I was too young to read. I reckon, my mom told me. Then, on Christmas morning waking early to jet into an even more frigid living room to see if Santa left my brother and me something. I don’t remember what I got, but felt a bit envious of my brother’s awesome present – a red wagon chock full of 100s of tiny toys –soldiers, cowboys, horses, tanks, penny candy. It was a child’s dream come true! Maybe the reason I can’t remember what I got was because this present was a joint gift for the two of us and somehow I thought it was only for JC’s but a combined gift makes perfect sense with my parents extremely tight finances. plus JC was only a year old. Why does the mind play tricks on us?
I spent a lot of my time with my grandparents. They also lived in the same holler as my folks, about a quarter of a mile from our house. My grandparents had a small black and white TV set. My parents didn’t have one at that time. Many families in southern West Virginia lived on modest incomes. I never heard anyone complaining. One Christmas season, I basked in the cozy warmth of the season in front of my grandparents old black and white picture set, as it was called, to watch Frosty the Snowman. I loved the part where Jimmy Durante sings that little tune at the opening. It made me giddy, especially on that night because it was actually snowing and snowing hard. There were several inches covering the ground and it was coming down heavily as the programmed aired. I don’t think we walked back home that night. More than likely my grandparents put me in bed with my two aunts and my parents slept…well, I don’t know where, but somewhere else in their house.
Another time when I was older, a flash from my Girl Scout days cross my mind. Our Den Leader, Mrs. Williams, wanted to take the group Christmas caroling. She wanted us to share our joyful tunes with a young boy who lived way down a long holler. He had a brain tumor and was very sick. I don’t remember this young fella’s name, but I remembering thinking, how nice it was to share a little Christmas with a sick little boy. That many years ago many kinds of cancers were terminal with limited treatment options. We all knew this might be his last Christmas with his family. That made me sad, but it felt good to give a little happiness to them.
In the 4th grade, I played an angel in my school’s Christmas play. Those were the days when you could still use the word “Christmas” without offending someone. Living in an area where most were raised in Christian homes recognized the holiday as the day Jesus was born. We all shared freely the enthusiasm of the season. In the small auditorium on that chilly December night, I delivered the line “Fear not, for, behold I bring you good tidings of great joy for unto you is born to all man this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” I was proud to be the bearer of good news as a special warmth washed over my entire being. I think the heavenly Father was giving this once little girl a hug.
Over the course of my childhood, I had many wonderful experiences putting up the Christmas tree with my brother, the thrill of opening presents with my family, having a large feast at my grandparents, participating in Christmas plays or singing in the choir in our little rural church, making toys for sick children in the hospital, Santa Claus actually giving us toys, and the list goes on. Those were such simple, innocent times and perhaps some of the most joyous ones for me.
Now, it’s your turn and I hope you’ll join me in playing Thursday Two Questions by leaving your answers in my comments.
What is your favorite Christmas memory as a kid?
And, what is your second fondest Christmas memory?
I hope you enjoyed blog posts from Vintage Christmases Past this month. The holidays will wind down soon with the ushering in of the new year. Don’t let the love, peace on earth, and good will toward others end. The world needs this more than ever.
Please join me on January 1st for the first Battle of the Bands installment of 2023 this Sunday. Have a wonderful day, dear friends! X💋X💋, Cathy