I've been thinking...yes, that's a dangerous thing. I've been thinking about Christmas when I was a child. I remember a real tree with actual tinsel that had so much static in it you could hardly get it off your hands to hang on the tree. I'm not even sure you can find tinsel anymore. Mother's ornaments I think are long gone, possibly in the attic...yuck... I believe we kids salvaged all that we could when mother decided to stop putting up a tree. I still have my old felt stocking that is so fragile it's almost dust.
I remember mother telling a story of when we were tiny tots and she went in to a local 5&10 store and found a small artificial tree. She didn't have enough money, like a couple of dollars less than what he wanted for it and I think the thing was $7-8. She offered what she had, maybe $5-6 and he told her if she couldn't afford to pay full price then she didn't need it. She was so embarrassed I actually saw her cry. She only wanted to have something for my brother, sister and I for Christmas. Most of the time my mother made our Christmas presents, like these pajamas in the photo. The stockings were filled with oranges, apples and nuts and we maybe got one big package under the tree. Money rich we were not yet Christmas was a magical time of year. Christmas carols, pageants at church, and the smells of baking things throughout the house. Christmas eve at Grandma and Grandpa's with tons of cousins. We definitely got presents there. Sometimes it was a package of lifesavers and it was the best present ever. Then as we got older we were able to make our own money helping Granny and Granddaddy doing various things. A dollar, a pocketful of change, it all added up and then Granny would take us to the OTHER five and dime store in our small town (avoiding the ogre at the other one) and we would carefully buy for every cousin, aunt, mother, father, brother and sister. Remember it was very little money and the 5&10 was CHEAP. A bottle of foul smelling bottle of Midnight in Paris perfume might be fifty cents. We took great pride in wrapping the gifts and handing them out on Christmas eve. (Sister never did like what I bought for her.) Christmas was absolutely magical. Nowadays, it's not so magical. I want to see the magic in my granddaughter's eyes. The sparkle that maybe, just maybe Santa Claus is real. That there are real reindeer prancing around on her roof.
With all the commercials, sales, run on stores, everyone afraid that they can't get the MOST expensive gadget or toy for their child, Christmas has lost all magic. Christmas shows, commercials, even running non-stop Christmas carols on the radio starting the week of Thanksgiving is just TOO MUCH. I want to forget about everything that is happening in the world right now and live the magic. Baking, wrapping, making presents, spending time with friends and loved ones celebrating, THAT is Christmas.
Merry Christmas friends.
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