September 24, 2010

Those Ghosts of Christmas Past

I won a Christmas ornament today because I asked Miranda and Tracy to "like" a photo I posted on facebook with a story attached about what I liked about Christmas. I guess it was kinda cheating but no one else had any likes so I won with two.  That is hilarious!  Writing about Christmas on the post reminded of Christmas past and stirred up lots of memories about how Christmas used to be.

* Always at Grandmother's and Granddaddy's.  We always went to their house for Christmas so it was a huge tradition and where most of my childhood Christmas memories started.

* Granddaddy always had the craziest Christmas trees, cut down on his farm, hand selected by him.  He would watch all year and then bring home his choice. They were crazy, sometimes too tall, sometimes too wide, sometimes just crazy but they were sweet and sincere and always a big hit!

* Well what would an old fashioned Christmas be without food?  Oh the food memories:  Mom's date loaf and jam cake, Grandmother's light bread rolls, coconut cake, and her mashed potatoes with a pool of melted butter in the center that James Willard and I would fight over at every holiday meal, Aunt Rachelle's chess cake, Aunt Frances' banana bread, and breakfasts at James and Kaye's Christmas morning.

* Santa aka Grandmother Haynes playing the french harp on Christmas Eve while we watched for Santa on the radar on Channel 6's weather forecast.  Every time the radar would come on with Santa's sleigh moving across the country, mysterious french harp music would start up from the back of the house.  I think the french harp was like a harmonica and I am sure Grandmother had one hidden away somewhere.  But when I was little I believed what I was told and it was Santa back there signaling that Christmas was almost here.   I also remember all the Byrd uncles coming over on Christmas Eve, full of the true spirit of Christmas, love and family fellowship.

*Aunt Rachelle's...When I was very young we went to Mama Byrd's for Christmas Day.  After Mama Byrd died, we started going to Aunt Rachelle's, grandmother's sister, for Christmas dinner.  I thought her house was the most beautiful place I had ever seen.  She cooked many dishes and desserts herself and every Byrd family member brought their own culinary delight.  There was a spread of food and fun times with cousins, and aunts and uncles.

*Aunt Esther's house are where my memories of Christmas night always are.  We would go there and have phase two of Byrd family fun and the aunts and uncles would play cards while the cousins played with their new toys.  I loved Aunt Esther's house too.

* Christmas gifts I remember...my Mom was an awesome gift giver and always gave me exciting presents for Christmas.  My artist set with paint and easels, my typewriter, my record player, always stuffed animals and candy in my shoes, and stockings!  My Mom was the expert 1960's Christmas mom!  I also remember my Magnus chord organ from Grandmother and Granddaddy White and the cash from Grandmother and Granddaddy Haynes that I used to buy those groovy brown knee-high patent leather boots!  Oh my gosh those boots were awesome and terrible all at the same time.  The coolest gift I received was always a gift certificate to the record store in Beaver Dam from John every year.  He really knew what a teen aged girl liked!

* The Christmas tree at our apartment in Hartford was special.  It was always done in twinkling blue-green lights and one night last year I passed a house that was shining that same color through its living room window and I was so surprised.  Nostalgia nearly knocked me over!  Today's lights are usually white or multicolor but the color of our tree lights was so Christmas-sy...is that a word?  These lights were reminders of cedar and pine and winter and serenity.  I loved them!

* I collect nativities and my love for them began with Mom's nativity scene that she set out every year for Christmas.  I used to sit and study the figures, so delicate and detailed.  Mom always placed the pieces in real straw and I would imagine what it must have been like to be there on the night Jesus was born.  Later Mom made a ceramic nativity scene for me and gave it to me for Christmas. That nativity was the first of many that I have collected over the years. 

* What is Christmas without the crazy pimp hat that I gave John for Christmas and the more amazing fact is that he wore it!  The hat was brown felt and had a huge feather on it and any 70's pimp would have dug it!  I gave it to him as a joke but he wore it (sans feather) and I liked that!  Miranda  continued my tradition of giving John funny gifts and the bear house shoes were huge and had toenails and what did he do?  Of course, he tried them on!  We laughed til we cried that night!  I have a picture of him in the house shoes and I smile every time I see it.

I encourage you to write down all the Christmas memories you have.  Today is the day to start documenting all those precious memories and share them with everyone!  And maybe you will win a Christmas ornament like I did!  Laugh out loud!