Memories of an Old Fashion Christmas

There are a lot of things that stand out in your life. It's surprising how many of those things come from your childhood. I remember a Christmas when I was eight years old that stuck with me through the years.

My Grandma Emma, who had a huge influence in my life, was living with us. She and my Mother decided to give my brother and me the kind of Christmas that my Mother had when she was growing up. Grandma Emma had raised twelve children of her own.

This particular Christmas is one of the most memorable in my life. Normally the Christmas tree would be put up weeks in advance. This particular Christmas, however, there was no tree. When I asked Grandma Emma about it, she informed me that there would be no Christmas tree until Christmas Day. Well, how in the world was a kid supposed to wait for a Christmas tree until then?

What this did, was create heightened anticipation for the big day. It also created a lot of work for my Mom and Grandma Emma on Christmas Eve. My brother and I were tucked into bed on Christmas Eve. If we got any sleep that night, it would have been a miracle in itself.

We could hear a lot of rustling and laughing going on in other parts of the house. We were sternly warned not to come out of our bedrooms. We obeyed. That didn't mean we couldn't occasionally yell out, "What are you doing?", and the answer always came back, "Nothing go to sleep". Really, you thought we could sleep?

Sometime during the evening my Father came home. Eventually everything settled down and got quiet. We did fall asleep, but not for long. Sometime during the wee hours of the morning we woke up. My brother and I were chattering. It was still dark out. We heard my father's voice, "Go to sleep it's too early to get up".

That was a mistake on his part, because now we knew he was home. We were quiet for a short time and then we hollered, "Can we get up now?" Dad said, "NO". That got us quiet for about ten minutes. Shortly we repeated our previous question. Dad said, "In an hour you can get up". That didn't mean much to seven and eight year old children. They really don't have much concept of time.

We continued to ask Dad if it was time yet. Since it became evident that we were awake to stay, Dad finally capitulated about 4:00 am. Everyone was getting up. We waited for the adults to get fully awake, and then we were allowed to go into the living room. Grandma Emma had gone in just before us and turned on the Christmas lights.

When we walked into the room, it was magical. The much anticipated Christmas tree was standing in all its glory. Christmas gifts surrounded the tree. There were two bicycles. There was a girl's style for me and a boy's style for my brother. I remember Christmas music playing on the radio.

I even remember some of the Christmas gifts, other than the bicycle, that I received that year. There was a Tiny Tears Doll with doll clothes, a new Christmas outfit for me, a Cooties game, silly putty, and paper dolls. I remember watching the bubble lights on the tree. It seemed like we played forever before it was time for church. I sang in the children's choir. It was a high Mass, and I recall the smell of the incense. To this day I love that smell.

It's funny, but I don't remember Christmas dinner. I do, however, remember visits from relatives late in the afternoon. Aunts, Uncles, and cousins began to arrive. All of us children went down in the basement to play. I remember the adults upstairs laughing.

That evening we went to bed. The day ended, but the memories remain. The memories are a lifetime ago, but they come to mind each Christmas. I loved that childhood Christmas, and wonder how many of us have memories of that kind of Christmas memory to fall back on.

Other memories that include Grandma Emma:

Grandma Emma and the "Screaming Skull

St. Patrick's Day is one of My Favorite Days

The Sweetest Words This Grandmother Has Ever Heard