My daughter gave me an assignment - write down for her what Christmases were like for me growing up. What were our traditions/ Stockings? Trees? Presents? Etc. My first reaction was, "You can't be serious." Yes, indeed she was. How hard could that be?
I woke up the next morning around 5 AM and spent an hour and a half wide awake trying to come up with something to send her. To be honest, it was a struggle. A lot of fog can cloud your memory bank over 70 plus years, but I was able to come up with a few, very few memories. Other than remembering that it took my mother a week to decorate the huge tree we had each year and a train set I got one year, there was very little else.
What do you remember about Christmas the year you were six or seven? The special present you couldn't live without that was under the tree. Exchanging a knowing glance with Dad when Mom opened the gift you got her and said, "How did you know that's just what I wanted?" Leaving a plate of cookies and a glass of milk for Santa and some carrots for the reindeer with a note telling Santa of a few items you forgot to mention when you were sitting on his lap...and Christmas morning finding the carrots were gone, the empty plate and glass, a "Thank you" from Santa and an apology for not being able to get the drum set. What was Christmas dinner like? Were all the relatives there? Even the ones you didn't like? Did Uncle Harry put too much bourbon in the eggnog and fall asleep curled up in your manger tableau?
So I guess my point is, what will your children remember 10, 20 or 50 years from now about this Christmas? Take pictures, lots of pictures and pull them out from your IPad once in awhile and look at them. Save them for future generations of your family to cherish. I have no pictures of my Christmases growing up, and the first one of you who says it's because cameras hadn't been invented yet will find a present from Casey in your stocking.
Merry Christmas to one and all, and make it a memorable one.
