Re: Childhood holiday memories

From: Tallulah (tallulahbankrupt_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 12/20/04 

Date: 20 Dec 2004 08:04:20 -0800

My brothers were really good at shaking gifts. They had a knack for
knowing what they got, so since I was in charge of wrapping gifts, one
year I put brother A's name on brother B's gift, and vice versa.

My mom was as bad as the boys - so I put a music box in with her robe
one year. I once found out after they were onto my tricks, they had
been unwrapping and rewrapping presents. So then after I wrapped
something for those two, I would hide that roll of wrapping paper in an
area behind the tub plumbing, where we used to hide when we were kids.

My dad, I never messed with though - it seemed cruel to make him think
he was getting something better than the socks, underwear, and Old
Spice he always got. He never ever said he wanted something else when
we asked him. We would ask him what he wanted for Christmas and he
would reach across the table, squeeze Mom's hand, smile and say "I want
what I get every day". Now that I'm older...well we just won't go with
that thought. No wonder Mom was tired. <VBG>

I'm still not sure who won that battle. but it was fun trying to
outsmart my brothers. Once in a while I actually succeeded.

Did any of you ever have one of those aluminum foil trees with the
color wheel light? We did --until my Dad got home from work that day.

I loved the real tree - the smell, the way you could squint your eyes
and everything would sparkle. I'd sit in the living room for hours
just enjoying the tree. I LOVED (and still do) the Christmas church
services - we had a really good choir, with lots of deep men's voices.
We used to all pile in the car a few days before Christmas and go about
40 miles to a lights display that another town put on - we had so much
fun because they charged by the carload, so you know we had about 15
people in that car, thankfully most of them were small. All the
shoving and pointing and ooh - aah - look at that!

You know, I can't remember a single gift I ever got that was memorable
- but all the attempts at trying to fool my brothers has stayed with me
for years. Between that, the music, all the fun we had baking cookies
together (and the trouble we got into for the cookie dough fights) the
decorations, the church services - that's what is more fun for me -
just being with the ones I love, and the ones who piss me off on a
regular basis, too, I guess. I think having one jerk in the house
makes you appreciate all the other wonderful ones all the more. And
those few moments when the family jerk is nice ...well, it's something
to put in next year's Christmas letter. (I absolutely HATE those
letters, by the way). We get one from my husband's uncle and aunt, and
all it is about is where they traveled to all year, what they need to
do with all their money, and all the countries their son traveled to
for his work. Just once I'd like to hear "we're in marriage
counseling, Tim's taking Viagra, Carol got fired for her uppity
attitude with the bank customers, and Jeff's wife has been fooling
around on him while he's traveling to all those foreign countries-we
know this because their baby looks like Ernest (hey Vern)).

Oops, got a little naughty there, didn't I? <G> My apologies. Carry
on with the Christmas cheer, and hand me some of the extra-cheery
eggnog, would you please?

Judity01 wrote:
> >
> It was rather fun to open that door and see those packages. Now be
truthful,
> all of you. Could you really resist shaking a package with your name
on the
> tag?
>
> Judity

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