Childhood Christmas Memories

I have been thinking a little bit tonight about my childhood Christmases. Every kid loves Christmas and I loved it so much! I believed in Santa until I was eleven. I remember the Sunday morning my Dad sat me down at the kitchen table and told me there was no Santa. I knew deep down, but I knew that not believing meant some of the magic of Christmas was over. In denial,  I even sent a letter to Santa asking him if he were real. That sad letter stayed in the back yard where I left it in hopes the wind would carry it to where ever Santa was. My mom found it in the spring. I think she still has it.

My mom made Christmas magical. I don't know if she thinks she did, but she did. Every year we pulled out box after box of Christmas decorations out of the attic and then spent the day decorating the house. I remember putting her little glass houses on top of the piano to make a village. I loved looking at them while I practiced my Christmas songs. Putting up the stockings was always my favorite. My stocking was a little different than everyone else's because I was a surprise and the family stockings had already been made. I always liked it any way. Each one had an animal on it... can't remember what was on mine.

When I was little I remember driving around with my family looking at lights. There was one house that was special to my Mom. Years before I was born, my family was looking at lights when everyone was still little and they came across a house very well decorated. Since the car was full with lots of little people the windows became foggy and it created this mystical Christmas house. Every year after that, it was always remembered, the foggy house. I wasn't alive, but I always liked hearing that story and thinking of all my brothers and sisters being little like I was when I first heard it. I told Aaron the other day too, that there was a street that always went all out in its Christmas lights and one year when we were driving down it, the song "Here Comes Santa Clause, Right Down Santa Clause Lane" came on and I really thought it was Santa Clause's lane. Aaron said he wasn't surprised. My favorite house was always the Thompson's house. They lived at the far end of a meadow and in the night from far away you could always see their house from a distance. It was my Christmas house, as I would tell myself.

My Mom's tree was always full of color lights until I was about 14. They whole house always had color lights and it created this warm orange and pink glow every evening. I can remember many of my Mom's ornaments. She had big glittery bulbs that she always put in the center of the tree to make it look full of color. One year one of my Dad's secretary made a mice family out of cotton balls and popsicle sticks. There was one for each member of our family and I would play with them for what seemed like hours. They would ski down the tree and have little houses in the bird nests my mom had in her tree. Whenever I was finished though I always put my Dad's mouse on top and then worked my way down to my mouse on the bottom. She also has two beautifully handmade ornaments with beads and other intricate work. One looks like a crown and I would always move it around the tree so I could look at it better. Whenever we finished decorating before any presents were placed under the tree we would lie down and put our heads under the tree and look up through  branches at all the lights and bulbs. We usually had a real tree and I miss the smell of a real pine tree that we went and cut down ourselves.

My mom had the same nativity for years. Eventually I think the heads popped off the wise men and Mary and a few sheep were lost over time. There was also and angel that played silent night, each year I would pull it out and listen. But every year Silent Night became a little less and then one year it didn't play anymore. But, I always liked playing with it. Every year on Christmas Eve my brother Michael would come and place the Christmas star over baby Jesus. I looked forward to that as much as Santa. I remember one year though as I was in the car getting ready to go to our annual white elephant party I looked inside and saw my mom putting it up. I knew it had been her the whole time, I appreciated though how she involved Michael into our family tradition.

The first week of December was always the Christmas Tree lighting at the park. We usually spent the day putting up our lights and then went to the lighting. Its not a grand tree, but I always felt like it was officially Christmas once the tree was lit.

My neighborhood growing up was the best for lights. There became a competition between a few of the neighbors and their houses were amazing. It was fun to walk out at night in the snow and see them all glowing in the dark.

There was a big box full of all the Christmas tapes. As soon as Thanksgiving was over we would pull it out and play all the tapes. My favorite was an old recording. My Mom recorded a day of endless Christmas music on the radio. I can't remember any of the songs anymore but, half way through the recording some little hand switch the recording from the radio to the family. So, there is about 15 minutes of my Mom's young family recorded. Jill is practicing the piano, kids are playing, the phone is ringing, and at one point you hear my Mom say, "We are watching Mr. Mom tonight!" I loved listening to that. I didn't grow up in a house that was busy with children, but busy with teenagers. I liked to listen to it.

Like I already said, I looked forward to our family's Christmas Evening festivities. For years we would get together with the Wessels and the Holmes for a white elephant party. I think we did it until maybe I was 14. I just remember laughing and laughing. One year on our way up to the Holmes's house we were driving in a snow storm and the lights from Honda Casino were very visible swirling in the snow filled sky. My dad told me that they were Santa's lights on his sleigh. I totally believed him.

I always woke up early on Christmas morning. By the time, I was old enough to get up early everyone else had passed the phase of wanting to get up at 4 a.m. to open gifts. Except Heidi, her and I would sit on the couch in the front room before anyone else was up and just take it all in. The room filled with Santa's gifts, stockings full, it was so warm and wonderful. One year we were sitting in silence just looking and all of a sudden the Star Spangled Banner started blaring throughout the house. My mom had not realized that she left the radio on and for some reason the station hadn't been playing any music throughout the night, but it must have resumed playing in the early hours of the morning. That's not and amazing story, but I won't ever forget it.

We usually spent Christmas Day with the Merrill side. My cousin Marielle and I would play with all of our new toys and then we would all go see a movie together. Over the year I think we say Galaxy Quest, Night at the Museum, and all of the Lord of the Rings.

Most of all what I remember about Christmas though is the feeling in our house. I know its that "Christmas" feeling, but I always associate it with my Mom. The music, the decorations, and the food. I am thankful for good parents who made my childhood Christmas magical. I hope that I am doing a good job for my kids. I love the spirit of Christ and family.