Tinsel, Stockings and Pine Needles..

Does this remind you of Christmas? It sure does me.. I remember decorating my first REAL tree, for a few years we had that Silver Tree with the lamp that sat on the floor next to it that reflected a disc that rotated different colors, red, green, yellow and blue.. it was nice.. the same ol' tree every year.. but then we moved on up and bought a REAL one. The excitement as a little girl having a real Christmas tree in the house the smell and the color is what got me. Watching my dad put it into the stand and centering it just right so the bald spots don't show and it didn't lean to the side. He placed what looked like a white fluffly skirt around the bottom and said.. "looks like snow". Then came the colorful lights.. this was something i never saw before... "dad you are putting these on the tree?" There he went roundn'round spiraling the strands, i watched in amazement as he adjusted the light bulbs. My mom had all the little decorations of all different colors, shapes and sizes, with hooks, she handed to me and told me just where to put them. We strand some popcorn, and tied bows to the small branches. We had silver garlets we wrapped around. She brought out a special golden ornament with my picture, name and the first year that said "Merry Christmas 1979" it was put on the tree by me. (proud moment for me i placed it right next to where i balled up all the ornaments in one spot on the tree, i think my mom moved them around later). After it was all done.. the treetop came, a lighted angel it seemed very bright to me, my dad lifted me high in the air and i placed it up on top, i didn't want to come back down! Now it was time.. plug in the lights, ooooo my eyes as big as they can get.. never in my little life did i see something so beautiful, living and it was decorated by me..

Now later we got the tinsel, one by one we put them on the tree, that was something my mom said always went last,(i have no idea why) she showed us how to put each silver strand onto the tree along the branches, to not gather it or throw it onto the tree.. then the stockings.. well my older brothers took their gym socks and wrote their name, my sister had a nice long sock, well i a had was a little frilly lacey sock.. i thought a moment, went into my drawer and cut the leg off one of my leotard..now i had a nice long stocking for alot of stuffing.. (i think my mom got upset lmao)

Tinsel, stockings and oh yes the pine needles. These are my memories in prepartion of santas arrival, pine needles i remember because they were always stuck on my socks sometimes would poke my toes and hurt.. and on my clothes, so i asked Santa "can we have a real tree without pine needles umcuz they poke'n me, and mom keeps having to vacuum it up and it scares the cat" i pulled out a few pine needles out of my jacket pocket and showed him.. he said "wouldn't you like a special toy instead?" i said "no no i really want a no needle tree" he said "i'll get my elves right on that" guess i stumped him.. lol


What little things to you remember about your Christmas Childhood?

Beautiful story imagin, thank you for sharing.

I love Christmas. Sometimes i think i never really grew up when it comes to this time of year. I still have the wide eye wonder with the lights, sparkles and decorations seen around town.

Maybe i hold Christmas close to my heart because it was always the one time of year that was very happy in our house growing up. There was always presents galore stacked to the ceiling. Christmas music was playing and dad would have to untangle the lights yet another year for the tree.

We don't have a large family so basically it would be mom, dad, sis and me come Christmas day. I remember one Christmas day in particular. There was a beautiful blanket of snow in the yard and my dad called me to the window and said the reindeer left tracks! So excited i was, that i ran out into the yard and with childhood wonder and was ecstatic that i saw Santa's reindeer paw prints.  

Every Christmas morn Santa left presents under the tree. They were never wrapped. There would be a semi circle for me and semi circle for my sis that was full of toys! All the other presents from mom and dad were wrapped and we would take turns one by one to open our presents so it would linger as long as possible.

Dad is gone now but i remember him most fondly at Christmas. Unfortunately as we grew older, we all grew apart. Families have a way of doing that sometimes to each other. I wish the spirit of Christmas lasted all year through in our house. But i will take what fond memories i do have and hold on to them for dear life.

There is something truly magical about the Christmas season. It makes the heart more kind, thoughtful and generous.

Lips

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7xjjlUbpJ4

hope the link works.

I was pretty young when this song caught my attention at Christmastime.  My poor parents.  "What do you want for Christmas?"  "A HIPPOPOTAMUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

That's all I would tell them.  And anyone who asked.  And I kept singing the song and DEMANDING my hippopotamus!  I was expecting to get a hippo, too!  I wasn't sure how they were going to pull it off, but knew if I kept insisting, I *would* get my way! 

Come Christmas, lo and behold, I opened my present and there it was!  A beautiful stuffed hippo with a wind up songbox.  This was back in the day when stuffed animals pretty much consisted of Bears, bears, or Teddy Bears.  I somehow found out they found the hippo through the assistance of the Fuller Brush Man!  I was a very happy hippo owner!