Christmas Memories
Christmas was always celebrated in our home. This very favorite holiday entailed lots of singing and practice sessions at home and at church.
Costumes of angels, wise men, and shepherds were reworked and readied for the reenactment of the birth – all directed mostly by my mom who was a true leader in our church who enrolled my dad to don the garb of a wise man year after year.
My mother established a tradition when I was born and to this day, my sisters remember the significance of putting up the Christmas tree on December 12, to commemorate my birthday in a very special way.
That simple act of putting up a tree kicked off the countdown to Christmas as shopping for others began in earnest after my birthday.
Growing up in rural Oklahoma had its advantages as I watched and learned not only from my Mom but from aunts and women from our church how to prepare a feast for many because celebrating the birth of Christ certainly centered around food.
Whether we were making popcorn balls, stuffing sacks of Christmas candies tucked between oranges, or whipping egg whites for plates of divinity or bagging scads of peanut brittle, we looked forward to this time of helping and giving.
Participating in school plays and church events were a given as singing and acting came naturally to me – my parents were great role models.
As a child, my grandfather was the president of Gold Spot, a local dairy and one of their premiere products from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day was eggnog. Thick, somewhat spicy, and very sweet and cold, this beverage was and still is on the top of my Christmas beverage list every year. I remember how my grandfather would dilute each child’s small glass of eggnog with either milk or apple cider.
Do you have a special memory of Christmas?
When I was 7 or 8, I decided that I was going to be a ballerina…I practiced moves and my “dance” routines for quite some time and then at the age of 9, I asked Santa for toe shoes – pink, hard toed satin slippers. I don’t know what they cost but Santa brought me the most exquisite toe shoes complete with the lamb’s wool to go inside the shoes. I was ready! I could dance on my toes! And I did for about a month when my feet began to grow, and my toe shoes no longer fit. I think all that stimulation of calves and feet encouraged my feet to grow.
Do I still put up the Christmas tree on my birthday? No way! By December 12th, there are only scraggly trees left on the lots so now, we begin Christmas tree shopping the day after Thanksgiving!