Your Favorite Christmas Memory?

[GS_Dirtboy]

When I was eight year's old our entire family gathered at my grandparent's house in rural Alabama for Christmas. There were 5 families in total and the house was literally full of kids from 2 to 13 year's old. My grandfather (Pawpaw) sat by the fire and played his fiddle for awhile. We just sat on the floor listening to our favorite hymns and carols, mesmerized by the crackling fire.

Afterwards, my grandmother (Mawmaw) served what she called "Russian tea." it was an herb tea with strong orange, cinnamon, and nutmeg flavors. We drank her tea and listened to her tell the story of Christmas, reading from Mathew and Luke. I could see the adults around the kitchen table telling stories about Christmas' past.

When it was time to sleep, five of us small boys crammed into one bed, lying sideways so we all fit. We punched each other and giggled until we heard Pawpaw's dogs barking outside in the yard. Pawpaw came into our room and told us that we'd better go to sleep. The dogs had run Santa Claus up a tree and Pawpaw would need to go outside and call them off so he could deliver his presents. If we were not asleep Santa would go to the next house.

I remember clearly turning to my cousins and saying, "Y'all go to sleep, now!" I closed my eyes hard and BAM! - it was morning. We rushed out to the family room. There were presents everywhere! One could hardly walk through the room. I stood there for what seemed forever gazing across the room, the lights on the tree flickering on and off, and the smell of Mawmaw's scrambled eggs, fried sausage and biscuits filling the house.

And outside; the miracle of miracles - snow covered the ground.

I'm sure it wasn't long afterwards that I learned the world could be a dangerous place, that hardships of every kind waited on the road for you to pass, and that the people you loved the most in the world would someday die. But at that Christmas everything was still in it's place and nothing could ever possibly go wrong in my life.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas.

GS

 

[ajoknoblauch]

Spending the entire night in blessed silence at Parque Nacional Nahuelbuta in Chile, as literally the only person in the park - not even a ranger.

 

[dennisr]

In the Navy:
Missed curfew, to keep from getting busted spent the night hiding in the Nativity display outside the main gate of the naval base in Yokosuka, Japan: Christmas eve,1964. Me and the baby Jesus. Young and dumb.

 

[florence]

I was five years old, the youngest and only girl among five cousins. One of my maiden aunts --also in Alabama -- was a professional seamstress. She didn’t have much money, but she would go to the most expensive store in Montgomery and buy the most elegant child’s outfit she could find. She would take it home and study it, then return it and make me a stitch-for-stitch copy. The Christmas of 1952 was the best. A dark green velvet skirt with suspenders. A white blouse embroidered with red and green holly, and best of all, a red, taffeta petticoat with clusters of jingle bells sewn into the ruffles. My all-time favorite outfit.