One more week
One more week until school's out. I can't think how many years its been since I've been in school, or my kids have been in school but I still look forward to Christmas break.
When my sister Nancy and I were little kids we thought Santa brought everything, gifts, decorations, tree, the whole thing. There may have been lights up around town, a creche at church, and trees in our grandmothers' houses but not ours. The house was undecorated when we went to bed Christmas Eve. We left cookies for Santa and then into the sack straining to hear jingling, or hooves on the roof. Nevermind we had no chimney. My sister Nancy and I would then pop out of bed at dark thirty and creep towards the living room. There would be the tree, lights on, big lights shining in the dark and gifts. I'm sure our little jaws dropped to the floor. It was magical and mysterious. Its still one of my favorite things to just sit in the dark and watch the Christmas tree lights.
Did you have that lead tinsel they used to use on trees? It was silvery and heavy and didn't fly around like the new stuff. We called it rain and carefully picked it off and saved it for next year. It was made of lead not mylar. I was surprised to find you can still buy it, on the web at least.
The Christmas I remember the most I was four which would make my sister two. Old four and old two as our birthdays were in March. That year under the tree were not one but two doll houses with furniture, and a metal wind up train that ran around on a set of tracks with friction sparks blowing out its chimney. I imagine the memory has to have lost some details but it seems clear as a photo in my mind even now. Some years I have had fake trees, decorative branches, even a virtual tree one year made of lights fastened to a wall. This is my first Christmas as a single for years so I decided to get a real tree and put it up in the living room window. I going to get lights, some of the new large ones that look like the big, old, multicolored lights of my childhood. I plan to get the tree with my son and then enlist the grandgirls in decorating. Christmas Eve I will sit for a moment or two in the dark before the family dinner and enjoy some of the peace just watching those lights brings.
When my sister Nancy and I were little kids we thought Santa brought everything, gifts, decorations, tree, the whole thing. There may have been lights up around town, a creche at church, and trees in our grandmothers' houses but not ours. The house was undecorated when we went to bed Christmas Eve. We left cookies for Santa and then into the sack straining to hear jingling, or hooves on the roof. Nevermind we had no chimney. My sister Nancy and I would then pop out of bed at dark thirty and creep towards the living room. There would be the tree, lights on, big lights shining in the dark and gifts. I'm sure our little jaws dropped to the floor. It was magical and mysterious. Its still one of my favorite things to just sit in the dark and watch the Christmas tree lights.
Did you have that lead tinsel they used to use on trees? It was silvery and heavy and didn't fly around like the new stuff. We called it rain and carefully picked it off and saved it for next year. It was made of lead not mylar. I was surprised to find you can still buy it, on the web at least.
The Christmas I remember the most I was four which would make my sister two. Old four and old two as our birthdays were in March. That year under the tree were not one but two doll houses with furniture, and a metal wind up train that ran around on a set of tracks with friction sparks blowing out its chimney. I imagine the memory has to have lost some details but it seems clear as a photo in my mind even now. Some years I have had fake trees, decorative branches, even a virtual tree one year made of lights fastened to a wall. This is my first Christmas as a single for years so I decided to get a real tree and put it up in the living room window. I going to get lights, some of the new large ones that look like the big, old, multicolored lights of my childhood. I plan to get the tree with my son and then enlist the grandgirls in decorating. Christmas Eve I will sit for a moment or two in the dark before the family dinner and enjoy some of the peace just watching those lights brings.
posted by Celia | December 12, 2010
4 Comments:
Celia, I love your memories and your dedication to making new memories.
You go for it...as this is my first Christmas on my own in many a year, I'm going for the simple style. It helps that I gave away most of my Christmas decorations to the Salvation Army. Thanks for reminding me of old tymes.
this year because I had pruned a lot of straight white Birch branches from our trees I stuck a bunch of them into plaster of paris and then once it was dry and set I wrapped little lights (with white cords) around each branch and glued a few red birds here and there on them...looks nice and much simpler...thanks for visiting my blog and for the cat name suggestion! Cheers-enjoy your Christmas
Love those memories and yes..... I can remember that lead tinsel that was carefully picked off the branches & saved for another year. Its a wonder we all survived with so many dangerous substances all around us.
Maggie X
Nuts in May
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