Some of my first Christmas memories are of my childhood home. My mother was very particular about the Christmas tree. We always had a real tree. I'm not sure where it came from - I don't think we bought them. Perhaps my dad went out and cut one down. The tree was always a cedar tree, usually somewhat mis-shapen, and almost always too tall. We had colored glass balls of many sizes with which to decorate the tree. We always lost one to the hard wood floor but we were repeatedly told how fragile they were and to be careful. The family got to help put on the Christmas balls, but it was Mother's job to put on the silver icicles. Most trees in the early 60's had silver strands of metallic strips called "icicles". Most of them were thrown on the tree in a carefree, globby fashion, but not ours. Mother would spend hours putting them on one-by-one and really didn't want any help. She always wanted her tree to be comparable to a "department store" Christmas tree - done to perfection. The strands of lights were bulky and heavy, but no one had anything else and so they were acceptable. We always had multi-colored lights. Dad's job was to string a few lights around the window outside, and maybe the door, too.
There were six in our family and sometimes we had Aunt Joan's family at our house for Christmas, too. We always opened gifts on Christmas Eve. I do remember Santa coming on Christmas morning when I was really small, though. I remember one Christmas morning getting up and running into the living room. I had a big stuffed yellow poodle dog and a teddy bear under the tree. I loved them very much and kept them until I was an older teenager. I only received one bicycle that I can remember and I was probably in the third or fourth grade when I got it. I don't really have any more clear memories of "Santa" gifts other than those which were marked from "Santa" at our family time.
One year I remember pouring out a box of Barbie clothes in the floor and all over me. There were so many and I loved them. I found out years later that Mother had made them. They didn't have a lot of money that year and she was a terrific seamstress, so she made Barbie clothes for me. My friend Candy had a lot of store bought Barbie clothes, but she liked to play with mine because they were different.
One year I got a wig with which to play dress up and a red stuffed fox. I have pictures of myself in the wig and holding the fox on our front porch. I got a "Posey Pixie" doll for Christmas one year and a Wedding Doll, which I still have, too. One year after I was an adult, Mom gave them to me restored. Posey Pixie was just too fragile and her foam body began to deteriorate so I had to dispose of her but I still have the Wedding doll. I must admit, she has seen better days before Lacey decided to drag her around by her neck and draw on her face with ink when she was a child. Kelly hated her and still does. Maybe I'll have a grand daughter some day who will appreciate her.
Most of my memories have more to do with people than with presents. Our house was always full and loud at Christmas. We tore open gifts and found ourselves knee deep in paper most years - the one time a year we were allowed to be messy for a few minutes. Being together has always been the most fun and even today, our children think of Christmas as being at Mother's house more than our own. Tomorrow is Christmas. Most of the traditions are gone. The house will be quiet, but memories live on.
