Christmas Memories

I remember being about 5 years old.  We were at my grandparents house.  It was Christmas time and we were always there as a family.  My Uncle Tony & Aunt Patti would come and so would Uncle Richard (he was almost always late).  One Christmas I remember wanting some Rainbow Brite items.  The Rainbow House, Starlight, books and a few other things.

My sister and I slept in the end bedroom on the full size bed and my parents on the fold-out couch in the living room.  It was SO hard to go to sleep that night.

We never really did the Santa thing but my grandparents always put gifts underneath the tree from Santa.  Even though we didn’t do that tradition, we were always thrilled by the magic of Christmas.

I woke up early Christmas morning.  I was probably 5 as I stealthily snuck into the living room.  There was a door that was kept closed during sleeping hours.  It was fairly easy to open without much noise.

Crawling on the floor toward the mantle in front of the fireplace was a challenge due to navigating around the sofa bed.  But I did it.

On the mantle was Rainbow Brite, Red Butler, Starbrite, the Rainbow House and accessories, books and who knows what else I had asked for to go with Rainbow.

That was one of my most favorite shows.  The movie came out and I went with my mom and sister to see Rainbow Brite defeat the Star Stealer.

Seeing those toys was such a treat.  I quickly went back to the bedroom and told my sister of what I had seen.  Her toys were there too, but I really don’t remember what she received for Christmas.

We were FINALLY told we could come out of the bedroom.  I am fairly certain my dad read to us the Christmas Story before breakfast.  After breakfast we would watch cartoons and Macys parade.  We would be waiting for Uncle Tony, Aunt Patti and Uncle Richard to arrive.  Once the Parade was over we would sit by the big window or look at the presents on the mantle area.

I think we might have gotten to open one before everyone got there.  That way it kind of kept us contained.  Probably a wise decision.

So the anticipation is pretty high by the time Christmas Dinner is supposed to be served.  Waiting for aunts and uncles can get kind of nerve wracking for 2 little girls.  But we waited.  Thankfully we had wonderful parents and grandparents who could help us occupy our time.  Setting the table, cleaning up, food prep (what little kids could do anyways) and cartoons with Grandy were our favorite things to do.

When everyone arrived Grandy would say the blessing and we would all eat.  After dinner came the presents.  Oh I remember tearing through the gifts.  But we had to pass each person a gift first.  This made the process be a bit longer.

Then we would go to my grandparents church in Johnson City.  I loved going there.  It was a beautiful church.  The high ceilings, lights, candles, and decorations for the birth of Christ.  I remember it so well.  At the end of the service we would sing Silent Night and light our candles.  Yes, I was 5 and I held my candle.  Played with the wax too.

After church we went back to my grandparents house and had a small meal (if we were hungry) then we packed up our things and travelled the 2 hours back to Gatlinburg.

Most of our Christmases consisted of this tradition.  We did visit my dads parents in Florida one Christmas.  I got my first sketch pad and drawing tools on that holiday.  I remember drawing all the way home.  That was another of my favorite visits to family.

I want to be sure to carry on the tradition of being with family during the holidays.  We tend to not travel over Christmas (weather is unpredictable), but have on occasion.  We love to have family over for a big Christmas dinner.  Typically there are around 11 of us at our house.  It’s an awesome time of family and fun.

Blogging throuth the Alphabet – D is for Dad

Since Father’s Day is approaching, and the letter “D” is for this week, I chose to do D is for Dad.  🙂

I was blessed with a wonderful father.  From my earliest memories, he was always there.  I remember going to the tennis courts with him and my mom.  Even playing on the playground watching him play tennis from the swing set. 

We would go to the trout farm after church (at least that’s when I think it was…the church was right next to the trout farm).  He’d bait my hook and I would fish and then take my catch to Miss Ruth who would cook it for me to eat.  Yummy!!

One of the next things I remember was going with him when he would do landscaping.  I would help dig the holes for the plants and occasionally get to put a plant in the hole.  I would ride my bike too while he would landscape. 

I also remember him having to go on business trips for the log home company he worked for at the time.  Sometimes he would be gone for several days and it would be my mom, sister and I.  He always brought home something little for us after these trips.  I still have most of the things.  They are packed away, but since we have a little girl in the house now I can justify getting out the trinkets.  🙂

I remember him being strong for the family when we lost the house that was built due to a change in job situation.  He has always been calm and collected. 

I also remember the time that our 1984 Pontiac Bonneville caught fire while I was driving it.  My mom and I didn’t notice it as the smoke was going out from under the vehicle while I was driving and we went to a antique shop that we loved!  Some guys came in and said the car was on fire and at first we didn’t believe them.  But then we saw it and the whole ordeal involved fire trucks, cops and me crying.

Mom said that dad was so calm when she called him.  He asked if we were ok and that he would be there as soon as he could.  It was maybe 10 minutes.  The fire was put out and my dad recovered some items from the vehicle.  Namely his Bible.  I don’t even remember it being wet.  But the car was totaled. 

He even cleaned the steel door of the fire damage cause that is just the kind of man he is.  Responsible. 

He has worked many jobs to taken care of our family.  He has been faithful and a good example of how a husband should treat his wife.

Thank you for being such a wonderful example for our family as I lived at home!  Thank you for being there for me.  Thank you for your unconditional love!