The Lost Meaning of Christmas: Selfless, Childhood Holiday Memories

Mom sat all five us around the table with paper and pens. On the table lay store catalogs; our eyes lit up. It was time to make our lists for Santa. We filled our papers and gave them to mom and dad to give to Santa. Wow; only 4 days left until Christmas. Christmas Eve, we all gathered up our mittens and hats ,snow pants and boots. Then off to the woods with grandpa we went to find the finest Christmas tree there was. We looked until we found the perfect one, then grandfather took out the ax and chopped until it fell to the ground. We all grabbed a section and carried it home.

We opened the door and the aroma was wonderful.Mon was baking cookies,bread ,oh and fruit cake.It was cinnamon rolls fresh form the oven, with a glass of milk for breakfast.After breakfast was done around the table again.W e helped mom with the cookies for Santa, oh how wonderful it was.After dinner we all sat around the fire place as grandfather popped the pop corn.After each batch we sat and sowed them together in a string.Granddad strung them across the room,we then went back to the woods to fined the holly.Christmas wasn't Christmas without holly.So we brushed the Snow away from the trees and picked all the holly we could find.

Then home again once again to sew the holly together, as it was draped across the mantle and such a wonderful smell it was.our stockings were hung by the mantle waiting for Santa to fill them. Now it was time to decorate the tree. granddad strong the lights and then we hung the adornments oh how it twinkled. Then granddad read Twas The Night Before Christmas. After the story off to bed went for Santa was coming soon.It was hard to go to sleep wanting to see a glimpse of old saint nick. But as the time past we all sleep.At midnight we were woke by mom telling us Santa had been there.So off to the living room we went and oh how beautiful it all was.Everyone should see the beauty in it. I remember it was a doll for me and my sister and hand made clothes for our dolls .For my brothers it was trucks and cars, but for all it was a few games and all received a pair of new roller skates. The stockings were filled with little trinkets.Our gifts to everyone were home made and that meant more to our parents and grandparents the any store bought gift.

We went door to door to all the neighbors and gave moms cakes, cookies, cinnamon rolls and bread to them. That is was Christmas was all about: the giving to others without asking for anything in return.