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Merry Christmas
Now that the last Christmas present is wrapped -- whoever invented gift cards should be given the Nobel Peace Prize! -- I can reminisce a bit about my favorite Christmases. With a cup of warm eggnog nearby, I think back to the first Christmas that I can recall.
It was Christmas Eve and I was probably four or five years old. I woke up in the middle of the night and tip-toed from my second floor bedroom to the top of the staircase. I peeked downstairs and saw Santa, looking just as he did a few days before when I sat on his lap in that store, putting presents under our Christmas tree.
I scurried back to bed, lest he see me, and in the morning I told my parents how I had seen Santa. They looked at each other and smiled, probably wondering what in the world I was talking about. I realized years later that it was all just a dream, but it seemed so real. Hey, maybe it wasn't a dream, after all.
One of my favorite Christmas years was 1957 when I was nine years old. A rock-and-roll music lover even at that age, I woke up Christmas morning to find my first stereo record player -- two big speakers -- and a 45rpm record of "Be Bop Baby" by Ricky Nelson. I played that song till it was all scratchy, but I knew every word of the song and was pretty good doing the air guitar bit and singing the words in my bedroom.
Christmastime was always a happy time at the Gagnons, except for the tradition of putting up the Christmas tree. Vi and Ray hardly ever argued about anything all year long, but you could bet there would be some yelling when it was time to put up the tree. The decision of which side should face the wall and whether it was straight or not took hours.
Just when it looked like Dad could escape the scene, Mom would make him move the tree "one more time." In the end the tree always looked perfect. If you ask my Mom she will tell you about the time I was just two years old, and I pulled the Christmas tree right down on top of me.
From that year on, Dad always tied the tree to the staircase, just in case I got too curious about those colorful presents under the tree.
Another favorite Christmas was 1960, when I was twelve years old, and I was allowed to attend Midnight Mass for the first time. Wow, here I was walking to church at midnight with Mom and Dad, while my younger siblings were tucked in bed by the babysitter. I beamed that entire time, feeling like an adult for the first time. I was amazed at how full the church was, barely a place to sit, and the church was all lit up, as though it were the middle of the day.
My fondest memories, of course, are of my own son, Erik, opening his presents and screaming, "Oh, boy, just what I only wanted!" at every gift he received. 'Course, Erik was 23 years old at the time!
No! -- he was about four and loved opening the huge pile of gifts that took hours to open.
It wasn't always easy, though, despite those famous words "Easy to Assemble" on some of those toys that had to be put together. Maybe "easy to assemble" for a heart transplant surgeon, but not "easy to assemble" for the normal Dad who sometimes had trouble opening a box of Shredded Wheat.
Christmas is for the kids, and for the parents who have those kids. Or for grandparents, I suppose. I know Goose will have a lot of fun on Christmas Day helping his granddaughter Raeanna play with her new toys.
Merry Christmas to all my friends, and especially to the wonderful Blogoteers, who give me so much to laugh about and write about. I hope you each get that special gift that you are dreaming about!
Comments
Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to everyone. Christmas....what is it about this magical time of year that offers us a glimpse of "Joy to the World?" I don't know the answer, but I love the feeling.
I cherish my childhood memory of 4 rug rats crawling on their bellies into the living room to sneak a peak under the tree. Oh what a beautiful life-size doll I spotted and hoped beyond hope that it was mine - it wasn't. I often thought that was my punishment for leading the pack of rug rats (I was (am) the oldest, so I was (am) the boss - right Chief!). I treasure the memories with my children and still hear complaints because Santa didn't bring that rub-a-dub doggy one year! My grandchildren - well that's a whole other euphoric event!
Thanks again for letting us share our memories as we look foward to our wonderous tomorrows.
Always, miss d
Posted by: miss d | December 27, 2007 6:27 PM
MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!!!!
Thank you, Kathy, for your thoughtful words. We will never forget Mom, especially around this time of year. She so loved Christmas and being with her family. I can honestly say we felt her spirit and celebrated her memory and the memories of Christmas's past.
Craig, next time, just grab a ride with my Dad and come down and enjoy the Holiday with the Swoboda Clan! An experience you will not soon forget!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
Kern
Posted by: Kern | December 27, 2007 1:21 PM
Fox,
A belated Merry Christmas to you and all your readers.
My daughter sent me a picture of my 2 grandaughters sitting on Santa's lap and that is my favorite gift of them all. Although I could not be with my daughter and her family, I did spend the day with several family members. Something was definitely missing but I still enjoyed the day as much as possible.
I know that several readers and bloggeteers have lost family members this year (I'm thinking of the family of Mike Mannix along with Kern and his family). My heart goes out to them and anyone else that has suffered the same.
Here's hoping that we all have a wonderfully happy New Year!
Posted by: Kathy | December 26, 2007 10:07 PM
Foxy,
Happy belated Christmas to you and all the blogoteers. I had an interesting Christmas 2007. I spent most of it in Chicago's O'Hare Airport.
I flew from Burlington to Chicago in the hope of spending Christmas with my sister in South Dakota. Because of bad weather in Denver I was unable to proceed on.
Rather than wait in the aiport for two days like some others did I just flew back to Burlington Christmas night.
Bottom line, I left my house at 4:30 AM Christmas morning, spent 12 hours in Chicago, then was back home by 11:00PM. There were some very interesting sights in the airport. However I did not see any 59 year old men with pony tails. In deference to that demographic, I was looking at a younger, more female grouping.
I thought about calling The Oprah to see if I could stay with her, but she was busy with The Obama. Apparently, she only associates with liberal men.
Craig Mathews
(Foxy's note: What an adventure. By the way, Blogoteers may want to contact Craig to ask for one of his 2007 collectors' item Christmas card, if you didn't get one. I now have a 2006 and 2007 in my collection.)
Posted by: Craig Mathews | December 26, 2007 2:12 PM
Foxy, you bring up fond memories! Christmas with 6 excited kids, two dogs, two cats, and getting up at 4 AM waiting to see if Santa Claus arrived were truly special days!
Who got what gifts, how many did we each receive, and the sounds of glee opening presents resonated throughout the house and possibly the neighborhood. And it happened quicker than eating a turkey dinner! I think of my Mother often as she passed away in 1978.
Now, the Christmas tree situation is one that needs refining and discussing as we all move forward! It is by far the worst experience of the year in our household! The anxiety begins to build as December begins. Where are we going to get the tree? What kind? How big? Who is going to decorate it? The animals are directly involved in the home location. Should it be tied to some structure (it is in our home)? How fast is it coming down? The recipients of gifts and presents seem to be very, very busy when it is time to take down the tree! I no longer mention the word "artificial" in our home any more!
Again, Foxy, thanks for the memories. Merry Christmas to all of you and a Happy New Year!
Posted by: The Donald | December 25, 2007 7:33 AM