Christmas Memories

This time of year my mind tends to wander back through the years to visit Christmas Past.

There was the time in about 1950 when my Dad lost his job in northern Minnesota.  The decision was made to stay with my maternal grandmother in St. Paul, where Dad would likely have a better chance for employment.  Money was tight, but Dad found a way to make Christmas special.

We walked a couple of blocks to Snelling Avenue where we caught a streetcar.  You young ones don't even know what a streetcar is, do you.  It is like a passenger car on a train only smaller.  It ran on tracks built into the city streets.

We rode the streetcar to downtown St. Paul where all the big department stores were located.  This was before shopping malls.  Each store had big display windows and each store tried to have a better display than their competitors.  There were Santas and elves and reindeer and toys and most everything was animated so it moved.  There were Christmas lights everywhere and to a little girl it was a magical fairyland.

Grandma's Christmas tree was a marvel, filled with lights and old glass ornaments she had collected over the years.  She even had some bubble lights.  Remember them?

The best part were the little mesh bags that hung from the branches, filled with chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil.

I take that back.  The best part was Grandma, who laughed and wouldn't let Mother scold me when I got caught playing in her flour bin.  Grandma, who had an ample lap just right for snuggling a small granddaughter.  Grandma, who lived until my 30th year and who I still miss, especially this time of year.

As a young girl, my family always had a real tree for Christmas.  Except for the one year when Dad came home with what was the newest modern tree.  It was made of silver foil.  Looked like several rolls of tin foil had exploded.  Mother decorated it with pink glass ornaments.  We were hip.

That tree gave a whole new meaning to the word 'ugly.'  I believe it went on the garage sale in the spring.

When my own children were young, I had a real tree, cut down from the woods surrounding our home.  There were few real ornaments, but we made up for that with tinsel.

I set out big bowls of popcorn and a bowl of cranberries, gave the kids darning needles and strong thread and set them to making garlands that we wound around the tree.  After Christmas we hung the garlands on the bushes outside for the birds.

We filled in the tree decorations with candy canes and homemade gingerbread men.  I used those small, round, red cinnamon candies for the features and buttons down the fronts of the cookies.  I don't think my kids ever found out where I hid the candies until it was time to bake.  By the time Christmas Eve rolled around, the lower branches of the tree were naked, having been stripped of candy canes and gingerbread men.

It is good to remember those times.  But it isn't about trees or decorations or presents.  It is about the birth of our Lord and about time spent with those we love.  I will be with my children and grands on Saturday evening.  Christmas Day Duane and I will share a ham dinner while the others celebrate with their own families or in-laws.  I am glad that my children have so many in their extended families with whom to share the joy of the season.

I am taking a bit of a vacation from blogging until after the New Year.  I wish for all of you, my friends, that you are blessed not only now but throughout the year.

Merry Christmas!!